This Can't Be
by C.Queen
Summary: When a demon from the future comes to the past to kill off his enemies, Sesshoumaru and Inu yasha, he brings with him a couple of his rivals' children who are ready to protect their parents..and insure their futures! InuyashaxKagome, SesshoumaruxSango
1. Past Meets Present

Note: As always I own nothing but the plot line and the characters I have added to the story line. I've tried to keep the characters in character despite my limited knowledge of the show and I apologies ahead of time, please also feel free to correct mistakes in the review. Thanks for taking the time to read and enjoy this latest sugar induced creation.

The Past Meets Up With The Future

Staring at each other the two brother's faced off, their groups behind them, unsure what to do. Eyes only for each other the two watched the each other for any movement or actions that would give their intent away. Golden eyes frosted over with ice Sesshoumaru regarded his little brother and his pitiful group of mongrels. Did they really think that they could actual protect Inu yasha from him" They probably did, fools that they were. The other set of golden eyes in this staring match stared at his older brother with anger and a deep dislike for his only living kin. His brother was stronger then him but he wouldn't allow Sesshoumaru to harm Kagome and their friends.

"Inu yasha." Sesshoumaru said simply as he and his brother began to circle. He knew Jakken would be smart enough to take Rin and get her out of here, he didn't want her to see him kill Inu yasha. It might upset her.

"Sesshoumaru." Inu yasha replied with a short nod. "Woman, take Shippou and get out of here." He added to his mate who stood close behind him, bow drawn and arrows ready.

"I'm not going anywhere, Inu yasha." Kagome said adjusting her aim so that the arrow was pointing directly at the center of Sesshoumaru heart. "Sango?"

"I understand." Sango said with a nod and never taking her eyes off the demon lord moved to where Shippou stood with his small dagger out to protect his family. "Come. They won't be able to fight properly if they have to worry about you."

Wanting to fight but knowing that she was right Shippou stuck the small dagger into his sash and glaring at Sesshoumaru allowed Sango to take his hand. "You hurt them and I'll kill you, weakling." Shippou yelled out as he allowed Sango to lead him out of the clearing and into the woods where he'd be able to hide easily if Inu yasha were to lose.

* * *

Frowning slightly at the term weakling Sesshoumaru watched the demon exterminator leave and thought that after he killed Inu yasha he might kill the exterminator as well. Over the years she'd proven to be an annoyance, the fox pup as well.

"Why don't you just leave now and save yourself having to lose another arm, Sesshoumaru." Inu yasha sneered arrogantly, glad that Shippou was out of harm's way no matter how much the young pup bothered him. Now all he had to do was worry about his mate and he knew that he stood little chance of getting her to seek cover as well. Kagome was stubborn like that and now wasn't a good time for her to sit him.

"It will be you who will be losing body parts today, Inu yasha." Sesshoumaru said with a small smile that was more chilling then any frown or scowl he'd ever given. A smiling Sesshoumaru was never a good sign.

"Why don't you just leave us alone." Kagome demanded as she glared at the demon who she'd come to dislike as much as Inu yasha. "What have we done to you except defend ourselves against your attacks? Don't you have anything better to do with your time?"

"He was born." Sesshoumaru said simply as he drew his newly made blade from its sheath at his side. "I will spare your life, woman, if you leave now. Your mate's death will more then satisfy me today."

"I'll kill you first." Kagome declared as she met the demon's glare unflinching.

"The only one who will kill either of them is me."

* * *

Startled the three stared at the creature that had suddenly appeared in the clearing with them. It was a truly ugly thing with over a dozen tentacles for feet and a head that rather resembled a wolf demon in its true form. It was also an ugly shade of brown, the color of dried blood with its glowing red eyes hinting at its evilness. It glided towards them and Kagome, seeing the real threat for what it was turned the arrow's direction towards it.

"You're a fool if you think that your arrow can harm me, bitch. You've tried that already and failed." The monster said with a laugh that sent icy shivers down her neck.

"We've never faced you before, what do you want?" Inu yasha said as he moved to stand between Kagome and the creature, his brother's threat forgotten in the face of this monster. Every defense instinct he had was on red alert and he knew that this wasn't going to end well.

"I want all three of you dead, you half breed bastard. His human bitch as well wherever she is. No matter, I'll find her and kill her as well." The monster said calmly as his red eyes fastened onto Inu yasha's blade with something beyond hatred in his eyes. "Where is she, Sesshoumaru? Cowering in the bushes?"

"Who are you that would dare risk my wrath." Sesshoumaru demanded as he too forgot about his brother as his anger focused solely on the one who had dared to speak to him so. He assumed this abomination referred to Rin and he had no intention of allowing this thing near his charge.

* * *

"I am known as Ferio, the most powerful demon ever created. And you, Sesshoumaru, lord of the west will kneel before me. I have defeated you once, I will do so again." The creature, now known as Ferio, said with a grotesque smile as he tightened his grip on the staff he held in his left hand.

"I will never kneel before you weakling nor have I ever faced you in battle, won or lost. For even suggesting the idea you will forfeit your life." Sesshoumaru said as he showed his fangs briefly as he controlled his anger at the thought that this creature thought itself to be his superior.

"You will kneel or you will forfeit your life as your sons did when I fought them. Such weaklings, but it was what I expected." Ferio said as he jeered at Sesshoumaru. "You should have practiced what you preached, oh great Lord of the West. Had you not contaminated their blood, perhaps then they would have stood a chance."

"I have no sons nor a mate." Sesshoumaru said with an almost sarcastic smirk. Obviously this creature was as stupid as he was ugly. That was saying something. "You appear to be the one who's weak here. Even Inu yasha could probably defeat a weakling such as you."

* * *

"Feh." Inu yasha said as he looked at the monster. "If your quarrel is with him why seek my death as well?"

"Ah but your sons and daughters caused me trouble as well, half breed. You see I am from the future and I'm here to make sure that you and your offspring cease to exist. Or should I say never exist?" Ferio said and with a laugh before lifting a finger to point at Sesshoumaru. "Your daughter was a particular thorn in my side. I enjoyed killing her very much."

"My daughter?" Sesshoumaru said more to himself then to anyone. Could it be that this beast spoke true? Could this Ferio really be from the future? Had he really lost to this monstrosity? Had this thing murdered his children? But if that were true why bother coming back to the past?

"Yes, rather spirited despite her human blood, your little bitch. Unfortunately I had to leave before I could get to see your mate in action as well. No matter, I will find her shortly and find out for myself just what sort of fighter she is. I'll give her your regards before I slaughter her like the pathetic being that she is." Ferio said as showed off his large fangs. "It would appear that the females in your family pose the only real challenge."

"If what you say is true then you will die for harming my offspring." Sesshoumaru said carefully; his eyes for once flashing dangerously.

"Don't worry, Sesshoumaru; you'll be dead soon and they'll have never drawn breath." Ferio said with a cruel laugh as he suddenly charged Sesshoumaru.

"Leave Master alone." Rin suddenly cried from the safety of the wood and before Jakken could stop her she ran right in front of the smiling monster. "I won't let you hurt him."

"RIN!" Sesshoumaru yelled as he moved to interfere, knowing in his heart that he was too far away. The monster would get her before he could do anything to stop it.

* * *

Just as one of his tentacles reached out to wrap around her a white and black blur came out of nowhere, grabbing Rin and carrying her to safety with a single bound. Watching they could see that it was a girl and she obviously had demon's blood in her.

"It cannot be!" The creature yelled as his eyes followed the movement, watching the young girl gently set the small child on her feet before turning back to face him, head held high and sword drawn. "I killed you! You insufferable brat!"

"I don't die easily, Ferio. Leaving when you did was a big mistake." The girl shot back and with another bound landed in front of the beast, her back to Sesshoumaru, Kagome and Inu yasha. The girl was nearly as tall as Sesshoumaru and her hair was just as white, a stark contrast to the black clothing she wore. Her hair was caught up in a high ponytail and hung all the way to her lower back, hiding her features from view. Something about her suggested that if they could see her face they'd see the face of a girl with demon heritage. She was dressed in a cat suit similar to the one Sango wore and she smelled like a demon, not a full one but at least half.

"So you came to protect your father, girl? Do really think a pathetic half demon like you stands a chance against me when your brothers and kin couldn't stop me together." Ferio said but Kagome wasn't alone in detecting a hint of fear in the creature's voice. Wait a minute, was this the daughter Ferio had mentioned? Was this Sesshoumaru's daughter from the future?

* * *

"Wow, I bet that took a lot of brain power to come up with such a long sentence. As for my brothers and cousins you just banged them up a little bit, assehole. We're not easily taken out, especially by weaklings like you. Now if you know what's good for you you'll just let me kill you, that way you won't have to suffer the humiliation long." The girl said sweetly as she braced her legs slightly; her eyes glued to the staff in Ferio's right hand.

"I will never surrender to you." Ferio growled as he glared at her.

"Your funeral." The girl said as she easily dodged a flying tentacle. "Father, Uncle Inu yasha, we need to break his staff. It's his way of controlling time. If we destroy it he'll be unable to escape us again." The girl called out not seeing the look of amazement on Sesshoumaru's features when he realized she had referred to him as father. So it was true, this girl was his blood? But how could that be? She wasn't a full demon.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Kagome said and changing the direction once again sent an arrow straight for the staff's jeweled top. As she'd anticipated the creature had forgotten that her arrow would do little damage and instantly moved to knock it away, leaving the staff vulnerable as he twisted it out of the arrow's reach. Seeing the ploy for what it was the girl jumped into the air, slicing the creature's arm off with a slash through the shoulder blade that sent black blood flying through the air as the arm fell. As the arm fell into range Inu yasha, having followed her lead used his own blade to slice the staff in half as it spun through the air. The staff having been split from top to bottom it exploded into shards of wood, a black slime seeping from it that was similar to the creature's blood.

* * *

Howling his anger and fury at the fact that he was now trapped in this time Ferio shot tentacles at both of them, the half demons easily dodging the attacks. Coming from behind Sesshoumaru sliced the demon's upper body in two only to have it come back together as though nothing had happened. Having jumped over the creature's head Sesshoumaru landed beside the girl and with a shock he looked into a face that could very well pass for his own. Her face carried the familiar purplish blue strips across her cheeks and there was the familiar mark upon her forehead. The only thing that marked her someone other then his double was her obvious female form and a large scar that spanned from her right eyebrow to the center of her cheek, narrowly missing her eye.

"Don't slice off his tentacles, they'll only grow back like the rest of his body. If it didn't we would have defeated him easily." The girl said as she dodged one of the tentacles aimed straight at her head with an ease that suggested she'd done this before. "Any wound he suffers will heal itself in seconds." For what seemed like hours instead of minutes the five battled, neither side winning or losing. Ferio healing all of his in seconds and the rest managed to avoid the worst of his assaults through shear skill and the fact that without his healing abilities Ferio was a very stupid and weak demon. Breathing hard and near exhaustion the warriors faced off, all seeming hopeless.

* * *

"Are you truly my daughter?" Sesshoumaru demanded finally as he looked over at her while keeping most of his attention on the tentacles. Dodging as oppose to slicing Sesshoumaru eyes assessed the demon, trying to find its weakness so that he could use the knowledge defeat it.

"Eventually I will be." The girl said as she jumped several meters in the air to avoid another tentacle, her golden eyes blazing with bad intent. Coming down with her sword ready she used it to slice the demon's head off, grabbing the head while she was at it before it could fall and be picked up by Ferio. Holding the head by the hair, which screamed at her, the girl simply smiling grimly. Getting a firm grip on it Sora sent the head flying through the air to land in a nearby stream, throwing it like a discus.

Screaming his outrage now the monster's remaining body stumbled to get to the stream, his entire body disoriented by the loss of his head.

"Any of you have any suggestions on how to kill it?" The girl asked as she turned to face them all for the first time, the air filling with his curses as he stumbled around, frantic to find his head. "He'll find the thing eventually and reattach it."

"You look just like him." Kagome said stepping forward a bit.

"Yea. We've tried decapitation; we've tried drowning. We've cut off ever part of his body but it keeps coming back together without leaving a dint." The girl said as she wiped her blade absently on the long grass. "You've all been around longer then I have so... Wait a minute, exactly how old are you guys anyway?"

"I'm eighteen." Kagome volunteered cheerfully despite the situation.

* * *

"Oh well that's just peachy." The girl said more to herself then to them, a habit she seemed to share with her slightly dazed father as she turned on her heels to glare at the beast. "He would go back to a time when I'm the same age as you, Aunt Kagome. Father hasn't even married Mother yet! Why that bloody bastard. If I'm not born because he screwed this up I'll make Naraku's death seem merciful in comparison."

"Who is your mother?" Sesshoumaru demanded to know. It would appear that somehow he'd ended up with a mate that wasn't fully demon. It shouldn't be possible and yet the evidence stood before him. He would find the name of the girl's mother and see to it that their acquaintance was severed. Physically.

"I'd tell you but not only would you not believe me but there's no way in hell I'm risking never being born by telling you. From what I remember you really hate humans right about now." The girl said as she straightened, her defenses sensing trouble. "He's getting close to the head, any suggestions would be helpful right about now."

"While you fought it did you ever impale its heart?" Sesshoumaru said as an idea came to him. During the battle the creature had made it difficult to get at its chest due to it placing tentacles like a shield in front of it. They'd sliced at his chest but it seemed to be guarding its heart with special care.

* * *

"No, I don't think so. We sliced and diced his chest a lot but I don't think we ever got near his heart directly, his tentacles were always in the way. You think his heart is his weakness." The girl said catching on.

"It's a possibility." Sesshoumaru agreed, rather please that she had caught on so quickly though why he had no idea. Even though her blood was tainted she'd obviously retained some of her demon greatness which he found unusual given his own brother's stupidity despite his own demon heritage. If she was full demon he might have actual been proud to call her his own.

"So how do we get at the heart?" Inu yasha said as he tried not to stare at the girl, his niece apparently. He was an uncle, Inu yasha realized with a start. Boy, he'd never thought about that before. He wasn't sure he exactly liked the idea of having a niece who appeared to be a lot like his older brother.

"Well he appears to hate Sesshoumaru in particular, why not use that to our advantage." Kagome said thoughtfully, mulling over the whole situation. "Sesshoumaru and I could distract her while Inu yasha and Sesshoumaru daughter attack his heart."

"It could work. He hated dad above all else and he is essentially stupid, he could be distracted enough to let down his guard." The girl said thoughtfully, cocking her head slightly to follow Ferio's progress. "I think Uncle Inu yasha and I could do it."

"I say we do it." Inu yasha said with a nod. "It's our only option right now."

* * *

"I agree. In my last battle with him we fought for well over a half an hour, killing him countless times only to have him put himself back together." The girl said with a sad smirk. "Trying for his heart is as good a place as any to continue to try to find his weak point."

"We'll try it. What's your name anyway?" Sesshoumaru said as he turned to watch the monster lift his head from the water with a triumphant howl.

"Sora." The girl said, her eyes also on the monster as his head once again joined its body. "So we all agree then?"

"Let's do it then." Inu yasha said as the four fighters turned to watch Ferio lumber towards them, his newly attached face contorted with anger and rage.

Well that's it for now. Did you like it or should I stop know and leave this weird idea alone. I know it's a weird idea but I think its got potential but then again I'm nuts so what do I know about anything. I hope that you liked it and please review so I know what you think. As always suggestions and ideas are welcome. Thanks for taking the time to read and I look forward to hearing your comments.


	2. Did You Say Dad?

Note: As always I own nothing but Sora and the other little dog demons who call our favorite demons Sesshomaru and Inu-yasha Daddy. As always thanks to those who reviewed and I hope that you'll take the time to review and let me know what you think. Just in case anyone got the wrong idea I don't intend to know or later ever write a Sess/Kagome fic. Kagome and Inu-yasha all the way.  
  
  
  
Did You Say Dad?  
  
"This is not the way I intended to spend my day off." Sora said with a frown as she faced off against Ferio with her father and uncle flaking her on either side. Holding her blade in front of her Sora prayed that they got out of this, she really didn't want not to be born.  
  
"Hey...that's my sword!" Inu-yasha said, as his eyes happened to glance at the blade she held in her hands. "Or not." he added looking down at the blade in his hand which was identical to the one she held though hers look older.  
  
"I kinda borrowed it." Sora said with a slight shrug as she gave him a slightly twisted grin. "When we were fighting I was forced to drop my own sword so I pulled yours out of his tentacle and took a leap at him the same time he telaported here. It got pulled it too." Sora said as she tightened her muscles as she prepared to move quickly. "Sorry."  
  
"Well I guess this proves you're my niece, you wouldn't be able to use it otherwise." Inu-yasha said with a grin as he processed the implications. "Congratulations Sesshoumaru, you're a father."  
  
"When this is over you will die Inu-yasha." Sesshoumaru said as he stared ahead, refusing to acknowledge his brother and daughter. "There will be time to speak later."  
  
"Dammit!" Sora said as she watched Ferio halt, his head lifted to the sky as though it had something to tell him that was of importance. "Why couldn't he have not noticed for once. The guy's stupid after all."  
  
'Noticed what?" Kagome asked from behind them.  
  
"Ferio never fights at night, he's at too much of a disadvantage." Sora said with a frown. "Even though he can't manipulate time now he can still telaport himself small distances."  
  
  
  
"Then we better not give him time to think about it." Sesshoumaru said as he stepped forward; a determined look in his eye. "Listen here you ugly piece of human waste, I'm sick of wasting my time on a weakling like you. You've probably been lying from the beginning about everything, you're probably not even a demon."  
  
"I am too a demon, I am as much a demon as you are Sesshoumaru. I am feared by all that know me, I am the greatest demon to ever exist. I defeated your three sons and your daughter Sesshoumaru. I defeated your youngest son and eldest daughter Inu-yasha. Had the rest of your children been there I would have killed them too. Shippou, Titus and your mates would have fallen had they been there as well. Your nothing compared to me Sesshoumaru, nothing!" Ferio yelled as he charged at Sesshoumaru who having anticipated the move jumped out of the way without a worry.  
  
"If I'd been there I would have easily killed you." Kagome yelled at the opposite side of the forest having realized Sesshoumaru angle. "'I've faced flea demons that pose more of a threat then you. You probably didn't defeat our children either, they're probably the reason you came running here, because you were to afraid of them to stay."  
  
"I am not afraid of a bunch of pathetic quarter demons!" Ferio yelled as he changed direction to charge at her, blood in his eyes.  
  
"A human could take you down you're so weak. You must be truly pathetic if you have to go back in time to try to kill us so that our children are never born." Sesshoumaru said with a sneer, bringing Ferio up short, unsure who he wanted to kill more. Taking advantage of this Inu-yasha and Sora attacked, Sora from the left and Inu-yasha from the right as their blades swung towards his heart Ferio grinned and in a blast of smoke disappeared in front of them. Narrowly missing collision Inu-yasha and Sora landed side by side where Ferio once stood, both swearing profusely.  
  
  
  
"Damn, damn, double damn and hell." Sora said shoving the sword's blade into the dirt. "Now it'll be around a week before he shows himself! I can't stay here for a week; mom and dad will worry! This is not good, definitely not good."  
  
"Why will it take a whole week?" Kagome said as she came to a stop at Inu- yasha side, Sesshoumaru close behind.  
  
"Ferio usually takes a week to re-energize and build up his strength. He's also in a lot of trouble and he's outnumbered, he'll take the time to try and plan this out this time." Sora said in frustration. "He'll bid his time and hope I leave, as if I know how." She added with a growl that made her look so much like Fluffy it was really scary. "If I get stuck here heads are going to roll; literally!"  
  
"Definitely your daughter." Inu-yasha said looking over at Sesshoumaru with a smirk. "So exactly how many kids do I have Sora?" he asked curiously. He and Kagome had never really talked about how many children they planned to have and he was a bit curious. Apparently they had more then two anyway.  
  
"Five counting Shippou." Sora said absentmindedly as her eyes scanned the area. "Where's everyone else? Shouldn't they be covering your back?"  
  
"We're here Master." Jakken said coming from behind with Rin's hand firmly in his.  
  
  
  
"Rin." Sesshoumaru said turning his gaze to the young girl who was hanging her head, perfectly aware that she was in trouble.  
  
"Rin was just trying to help Master, is the bad monster gone." Rin asked softly looking up at him worriedly. 'Thank you for saving me." she added as she smiled up at Sora who was looking down at her in shock. "You look a lot like Master."  
  
"Rin?" Sora said bending down on one knee so that she was nearly looking Rin in the face. "Is that you?"  
  
"Do I know you?" Rin said moving closer so that she could get a better look at the other girl's face which looked so much like her beloved Master. "I don't remember you, are you related to my Master?"  
  
"Master?" Sora said raising an eyebrow. "Since when have you called Father Master?"  
  
"That's what she always calls him." Inu-yasha said with a sneer as he looked down at the young girl who received more affection from his brother then he ever had and they were kin. "Why; what does she call him in your time period?"  
  
"You know we should probably go let Sango and Shippou know everything's okay, they're probably really worried by now." Kagome said before the situation got any worse.  
  
"She's right. Taking the time into account and your attitudes I'd assume that you two don't get along right now and that the thought of sharing each others company probably isn't high on fun things to do unless it involved fighting." Sora said with a sigh at all the unjustice that was being heaped on her today. 'But its important that we stick together so do you think you two could possibly bare each other's company for a week?"  
  
"Why?" Sesshoumaru said.  
  
"Because It'll be too easy for him to pick us off if we're separated, the guy's stupid and dangerous, a lethal combination. He may not be all there upstairs but he's still dangerous and we stand a better chance of killing him if we're all together." Sora said in a reasonable tone. "Unless of course neither of you are tough enough to be able to keep yourselves under control."  
  
"We are so." The brothers said, nearly perfectly together as they fell neatly into her well placed trap. Eighteen years with them had definitely given her an insight into how to manipulate them.  
  
  
  
Two hours later  
  
  
  
"I can't believe that she's his daughter." Sango said looking over at the girl who stood leaning up against a nearby tree, still and motionless.  
  
"Yea, if it weren't for the family resemblance and the fact that she can use Inu-yasha sword I'd wonder." Kagome said as she too looked at the girl who'd remained practically silent for the last hour as she watched and waited. "She could be his double almost."  
  
"And she's smart too, must take after her mother." Sango said with a smirk as she watched Sora watch Shippou who sat beside Inu-yasha who was trying his best to ignore the fox's jabbering.  
  
"Watch your tongue woman." Sesshoumaru growled not liking the comment at all. It was bad enough that he had to put up with his brother but the bitch exterminator was being the real problem. He could ignore his brother easily but this woman was getting under his skin with amazing ease.  
  
"You're right, she probably doesn't take after her mother either." Sango said with a sugary sweet smile that oozed with sarcasm. "After all, how smart can she be if she took you for a mate."  
  
"I should cut out your tongue for that remark alone." Sesshoumaru said moving to stand directly in front of Sango, towering over her threateningly. "You'll wish that you'd never.."  
  
"Are you two always like this in this time period?" Sora interrupted as she watched them fight with a rather startled look on her features. Stopping the two looked at her with puzzlement. The two had never gotten along; he was a demon and she was a demon exterminator. How on earth did they act in the girl's time period?  
  
"Don't they argue a lot in your time too?" Inu-yasha asked as he looked over at her in surprise at her surprise. "They never get along, they hate each other almost as much as Fluffy hates me and the human race in general."  
  
"They never get along?" Sora said looking really confused now. "Sure they argue a far bit but they usually get along really well. I guess it will be a while before they get to know each other well enough."  
  
"Over her dead body." Sesshoumaru growled as he turned his back on them to walk over to where Rin and Jakken were bedding down for the night. He could think of very few things that were worse then the thought of going soft enough to take a human for a mate, if it took him forever he would find out from his daughter what had caused him to become that way and he would eliminate it immediately.  
  
  
  
"So you're eighteen like Kagome?" Shippou asked coming up to Sora hesitantly. She was Fluffy's daughter after all and therefore not to be trusted.  
  
"That's right Shippou." Sora said and everyone was surprised at the smile she gave the young fox demon. Since Sesshoumaru never smiled it was quite a revelation to see what it would look like on Sora's face; Sesshoumaru would look quite good. Like her father she'd appeared to not be one to show much emotion but she obviously held an affection for Shippou if her smile was anything to go on.  
  
"Do you have a mate already too?" Shippou asked curiously, his instincts telling him he could trust this girl. It was strange but it was if some part of him knew her as a friend and ally even though they'd never met before today.  
  
"No, I don't have a mate yet." Sora said with a slightly less happy smile, as though the fact was not a happy subject for her. "I probably won't for a while, men are too afraid of the males in my family to try."  
  
"Big surprise." Inu-yasha said with a large grin.  
  
"I'm older then you in the future right?" Shippou said having done the math and being more curious about his future self then her marital status.  
  
"That's right, you're about fifteen years older then me." Sora said with a grin at the delight this news caused the little fox demon. He had always been the youngest in the group and he was glad to know that it wouldn't always be that way.  
  
"Do I have a mate?" Shippou asked curiously not sure whether he liked the idea or not. It wouldn't be so bad if his mate was like Kagome or Sango but he'd rather be human then marry someone like Kikyo.  
  
"Not yet." Sora said with a smile. "Though you're in high demand with the ladies thanks to your high status as a warrior."  
  
  
  
  
  
"Which just goes to show you how stupid females in your time are." Inu- yasha inserted with a roll of his eyes at the horrors that would apparently come with age. A world like the one she'd described wasn't his idea of a great place to live.  
  
"Hey!" Shippou said moving to attack him with his little claws out to take a swing at Inu-yasha. "You'll pay for that comment dog demon."  
  
"Shippou!" Sora said grabbing him before he could leap at Inu-yasha who would undoubtably knock some sense into him literally. "You know your dad will. never mind."  
  
"Dad?" Kagome said picking up on the term. "Did you say dad?"  
  
"I thought you said that Sesshomaru was your father?" Sango said suspiciously.  
  
"He is, Inu-yasha is Shippou's..never mind." Sora said realizing that she'd said too much already. Going back in time really sucked." She said with a disgruntled look as her eyes darkened as she planned the payback she was going to deal Ferio for putting her in this situation.  
  
"Care to explain that remark." Inu-yasha said quietly, too quietly.  
  
"Not really, No." Sora said with a grin. "So who wants to take the first watch? Fath. I mean Sesshoumaru and I can do it since we don't need to sleep."  
  
"I'll take the first watch, you two can work out the rest." Inu-yasha said with a gleam that said he was far from distracted. "You referred to Shippou as my son."  
  
"I did?" Sora asked innocently as she stared at him cutely which was really weird given her resemblance to Sesshoumaru and the fact that he'd probably never looked cute, much less innocent a day in his life. "You must have misunderstood me."  
  
"Like hell I did." Inu-yasha muttered angrily but decided to let the comment pass for the time being. He had a feeling he didn't really want to hear the answer to his question anyway. All his instincts were telling him that this future of his wasn't going to be the one he'd envisioned, when he'd bothered to think about it at all.  
  
  
  
"So am I married in your time?" Rin asked curiously as she smiled innocently from her bedding. Usually she slept with her Master but he'd said that she'd sleep on her own tonight and she wasn't looking forward to it. If talking would allow her to stay up longer then she was all for it.  
  
"Yes." Sora said carefully as her mind thought about the questions that would follow. She definitely couldn't tell Rin anything about the guy she was marrying but she didn't see any harm in confirming it.  
  
"She is? Who?" Sesshoumaru demanded momentarily forgetting that he wasn't interested. He had allowed his possession to marry? Why would he have done such a thing?  
  
"Like I said before, I'm not telling any of you anything important. That includes the identities of spouses, children and enemies. You might disagree but if you take Ferio out of the picture my life in the future is good and I'' not risking screwing it up to appease anyone's curiosity." Sora said firmly. "Now I'm going to get some sleep, Uncle Inu-yasha, wake me up in a few hours and I'll take over for you."  
  
"Sounds good to me." Kagome said quickly before anyone could argue with the girl's statement; which was quite correct. "It's been a long day and I for one could use some sleep. Besides, my life in the future seems pretty good and I don't need either of you two screwing it up." she added with a smirk.  
  
"Feh." Inu-yasha said but with a roll of his eyes he moved away from the fire to stand on top of a large rock so that he'd have a better view of the ground and surrounding area. Following his lead the tired group bedded down for the night with questions of what lay ahead running through their minds.  
  
  
  
Well that's it for now. Thanks again to all who reviewed before and I hope you'll review again and let me know what you thought of it. As always thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the story. Any information on Sesshomaru's and Inu-yasha childhoods would also be appreciated as well. I have the just but I'd hate to make any big errors. 


	3. Someone Acting Normal

Note: I own really nothing, to see what I own check out my past disclaimers. Thanks to all those who've taken the time to review this in the past and I hope  
  
Someone Acting Normal  
  
She really didn't need to sleep of course but she figured she might as well given that maybe they'd leave her alone instead of badgering her. Deciding that it was worth a try Sora laid down and using one of her arms as a pillow laid down and closing her eyes mentally lulled herself to a light sleep.  
  
  
  
"Sora."  
  
Looking around her Sora was aware that she wasn't awake but was still in a state similar to human dreaming. The place she was in was very foggy and even with her superior eyesight she couldn't see the speaker who'd called her name. Couldn't smell him either Sora thought with a sense of weariness. True this wasn't real but many believed that dreams were interpretations of what was to come and therefore she considered her weariness justified. But there was something about all this that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, something not quite right. She'd had these dreams where she knew she was dreaming before but never like this, never with this amount of awareness. If it weren't for her surroundings and the fact that she'd just gone to sleep Sora would have concluded she was still awake.  
  
"Sora."  
  
Eyes narrowing Sora smiled slightly as she recognized the voice as the faint wind carried it to her sensitive ears. True it was only a dream but it was Triton's voice she heard and as long as he truly was the speaker then she had nothing to fear from him. Allowing her senses to take over she allowed them to guide her through the fog, trusting her instincts as oppose to her head. Then in the distance she could make out a tall figure coming towards her, the faint smell of the sea reaching her nose as well. But then what else would a water demon smell like Sora thought with a wider grin as she picked up her pace to get closer. As he came closer with each step they took her sharp eyes scanned the figure for signs that he was not what he seemed to be. He was the right height and size, his hair the familiar dark blue pulled back in a short ponytail, a faint blue tinge to his tanned skin. He wore the clothing of a sea demon as well with his familiar wooden staff in his hand and a blank though not forbidding look on his face. He looked skinner too but that was to be expected his body was losing moisture from being away from the water. Not that he couldn't be out of water but he wasn't as strong as he normally was which was one of the reasons why Feudal people usually went their whole lives without seeing a water demon. Water demons rarely came on land because they were usually hunted for the powers and knowledge they possessed which was actually how Triton had become acquainted with her family in the first place. His lord's son had been kidnapped and then rescued by Shippou and Rin who'd come upon them. In thanks for their help Triton's lord had made the first treaty between a demon lord of the land with one of the water. Plus the water lord had granted a demon's life span to the human women of the family and in doing so allowed them to live out a life equal to their husbands. Which more then worked out well for Triton Sora thought with a grin.  
  
  
  
"I've found you." Triton said simply as he came to a stop in front of her as he looked her over carefully, his ocean blue eyes revealing none of his worry or relief to find her still in one piece. "This isn't a dream Sora, You know of my people's mental abilities, I am communicating to you through your dreams but I am real as are my words. You are well?" he added scanning her for signs of injury. He would have hugged her but Sora wasn't the type to accept physical contact happily. Everyone was in an uproar right now and he knew that the battle was only beginning.  
  
"I'm fine." Sora said as she took his hand in a surprising show of affection. She wasn't one to show a great deal of affection openly to anyone but she was so happy to see a familiar face that was acting normal. "So you're contacting me mentally, even though I'm in a different time?"  
  
"We are the most advanced and powerful demons on earth." Triton pointed out with a grin knowing how much she hated to be reminded of the fact. Though dog demons were especially powerful and feared it was a well-known fact that the long living water demons were far more dangerous to cross and held powers beyond most beings comprehension.  
  
"Only because you've been around longer." Sora said with a smirk as she acknowledged Triton's attempt to lighten the mood. He wasn't much for showing a lot of humor or any emotion for that matter and she appreciated the effort.  
  
  
  
"One of these days I'm going to get you to admit that though you dog demons occasional produce offspring that are physically more powerful then us we still have you beat on ever other point and when it comes down to it physical strength can only get you so far which your male relatives had driven home quite painfully." Triton said with a look that was meant to be irritating.  
  
"They're all right though?"  
  
"They aren't pleased that they were beaten but they will recover from the wounds that they sustained, Rin is babying them as we speak." Triton said with a grin as he thought of how his brother-in-laws had complained. Not that his wife had listened to them at all. Personally he thought their protests were just for show but they'd only glared at him when he'd dared to express that opinion. "How far back into the past have you gone?"  
  
"Where to begin." Sora said with a suffering look. "My father and Uncle Inu-yasha hate each other, Father wants to find out who mom is so that he can kill her and thus make sure I'm never born! Your wife can't be more then ten years old and looks so much like your daughter you have to look closely to see any differences! How's that for starters?"  
  
"Well your father always says that they look exactly alike except for the fact that she has my ears." Triton said with a grin, rather intrigued by the idea of what Rin was like when she was so young.  
  
"She does have big ears." Sora agreed, as she pointedly looked at Tritons ears that were slightly larger then normal and much more pointy. Her oldest brother had once called them elf ears before ending up eating dirt. They were never referred to as elf ears again. "We destroyed his staff, he's trapped here. That's a good thing right?" Sora added figuring that the good news would take his mind off the ears comment.  
  
  
  
Rather use to the comments about his ears Triton simply gave her a look to show his displeasure before answering her question. "Its good in that we don't have to worry about him constantly disrupting the course of time but bad in that we don't necessarily know how to get you back without it."  
  
"We'll given how advanced and smart you water demons are I'm sure you'll be able to come up with something sooner or later. Preferably sooner." Sora added with a confident look though inside she wasn't nearly as sure. She didn't want to stay in this time and all hell would break lose if she did. She'd already said too much as it was, just think how much they'd get out of her if they had plenty of time to do it in.  
  
"You know you need to cause as little changes as possible. Your presence here alone will cause enough changes as it is without adding to it. You can say nothing that they don't already know." Triton said knowing how difficult a task he was giving her. The Feudal Era was full of dangers and he knew it would be damn near impossible for her to avoid them.  
  
"Ferio's already given a few away but for the most part I think we're safe for the time being. He mentioned your name and gave out a few tim-bits but nothing major." Sora said confidently though she was less then sure. Ever moment she spent in this time period the more chances there were to screw up. If there was one thing she hated it was to screw up.  
  
  
  
"That was to be expected." Triton said then with an annoyed look held up the hand she wasn't holding that was beginning to look rather see-through. "I cannot stay here much longer, I don't possess the mental capacity to do this for long. Is there anything I need to know?"  
  
"Ahhh yes. Father believes that it's possible that Ferio's weak point is his heart. During battle he protected that area above all else and when we attempted to attack the area he became rather agitated and disappeared." Sora said thinking fast.  
  
"I will pass that along." Triton said as the rest of his body followed suit as he began to fade away before her eyes. "I will try to return again when I have regain the strength." he managed to say before he completely disappeared in front of her. Carelessly waving her hand where he'd once stood Sora looked around to see that she was standing in a meadow similar to the one near her home. Once again though she was alone and so with a sigh of regret she walked over to her favorite tree and using the truck as a headboard leaned back against it and went to sleep a deeper sleep that featured no dreams and left her to her thoughts.  
  
  
  
I know this was really short but I'm suffering from major writer's block here and so I figure giving you a bit was better then waiting a long time for me to catch up on this one. Unfortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it I have a lot of fics up in the air at the moment so don't be surprised if this one takes a bit of a backseat again. While your waiting feel free to check out my other stories and I'll try to update as soon as possible. Thanks. 


	4. The Old Ball and Chain

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the plot and my original characters. Thanks to all those who have been reading and I look forward to reading your reviews on this latest chapter.  
  
The Old Ball and Chain  
  
Sora opened her eyes and prayed that she hadn't said anything in her sleep, that was all she needed right now. Well at least her brothers and cousins were all right apparently, that was something. Sitting up she saw that everyone was still asleep, well except of course for her father who was standing guard over the rest of the group from the rock Inu yasha had been on early. Getting up without making a sound Sora moved over towards the rock and stood silent beside it.  
  
"You're awake." Sesshoumaru said simply, not bothering to look down at his daughter. He'd been thinking about it all night and had unfortunately come to the conclusion that he needed her to exist, at least for the time being.  
  
"I don't need to sleep much if at all. I just get some of my better ideas when I'm resting." Sora said with a slight smirk as she caught the sound of Shippou snoring lightly from Sango's side where he'd bedded down for the night. Sora wished that Shippou from her time could be here, he didn't believe he snored.  
  
"You said before that you weren't a half demon technically, what did you mean by that?" Sesshoumaru asked, still not looking at her. He hated half demons as much as humans but if her mother was a half demon then that would narrow the list down considerably seeing as most half demons didn't live very long.  
  
"Long story, bad idea to tell you." Sora said with a bigger smirk, knowing her father way to well to fall for his little traps. "You're a lot happier in the future then you are now if that make you feel any better, not that it probably will knowing you."  
  
"Doubtful." Sesshoumaru said quite certain that his life in the future would be Purgatory if he was mated to a human, even if she did possess some demon blood. What on earth had happened that had reduced him to such a pathetic state?  
  
"Humans aren't so bad, they have their good points, you'll see." Sora said knowing that it would be a while before her father would accept that fact, a lot longer if she didn't get rid of Ferio and see to it that history went as planned. "Should I wake the rest of them up or should we let them sleep a little longer?"  
  
"Might as well let them sleep, they're weak and will need what little strength they have to battle the creature." Sesshoumaru said, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge Ferio as a demon. That pathetic creature was an atrocity that wasn't to be connected with the greatness of demon blood. Not to mention the cretin was responsible for his present situation, forcing him to be near his bastard brother and his little friends. At least that damn human male his brother was often with wasn't with them; Sesshoumaru found him nearly as annoying as Inu yasha.  
  
"Gotcha." Sora said and walked off to get something to drink and think about how life was being terribly unfair to her at the moment.  
  
A little while later  
  
"How much further are we going to walk today?" Sango asked Sesshoumaru who had taken the lead with Inu yasha close behind. Sora had said that Ferio would be more likely to head for familiar territory and that meant going into lands that were well populated with demons of the not so likeable sort. Inu yasha and the rest of his group had been heading that way anyway so they weren't complaining about that much, just the pace Sesshoumaru was setting.  
  
"I can carry him." Sora said referring to Shippou who now resided in Sango's arm after walking for three hours straight. The poor little fox just couldn't handle the pace and Sango had picked him up rather then have the fox start lagging behind, incurring Sesshoumaru's wrath.  
  
Looking at the girl closely Sango held out the sleeping fox demon and raised an eyebrow at the way the young girl took the boy so carefully and cradled him gently in her arms as she moved forward to walk quietly beside her father, the two reflections of each other as she carried Shippou with an ease that suggested she was use to it.  
  
'Those two must be very close in the future, she guards him like he was her own. She tolerates his questions about the future pretty well too." Kagome commented to Sango as she walked beside her friend feeling like she was going to collapse at any moment from exhaustion. And she'd thought Inu yasha set a hard pace, his was child's play compared to this. "I bet it feels good to lose his weight huh?"  
  
"It wasn't so bad, Kagome." Sango said with a rather weak smile as she tried to ignore the way her body was screaming at her to let it rest and re- energize. It was nice to lose Shippou's weight but her muscles were still crying out for mercy either way.  
  
"Something is coming." Sesshoumaru said to no one in particular as his nose caught the smell of someone approaching rapidly. It was faintly familiar but he couldn't place it. "I don't recognize the smell."  
  
"I don't recognize it either. What's today? Perhaps one of you has mentioned this meeting and I can help." Sora asked thinking that maybe that would give her some idea of where she should steer them after this was over.  
  
"It's the fifteenth of October." Kagome said cheerfully as she tried to ignore her feet and losing the battle. She was really out of shape but looking at it positively she was likely losing weight too and that was always good.  
  
"The fifteenth." Sora muttered to herself as she tried to remember why that date struck her as being an important one. It wasn't anyone's birthday and it wasn't a human holiday, what happened on the fifteenth of October? And why did she have this really, really bad feeling that whatever the significance was it wasn't a positive thing.  
  
"Piss anyone off lately, Fluffy?" Inu yasha asked not liking this at all as they looked around them cautiously. He hadn't even seen what was approaching yet and already he had a bad feeling that whatever it was he wasn't going to look forward to meeting it.  
  
It was that comment that jogged her memory. "You're eighteen, Aunt Kagome." Sora said spinning on her heels to look at Kagome like her answer was a matter of life or death; which in Sora's case wasn't an exaggeration.  
  
"Yea why? What's the matter, Sora?" Kagome asked not liking the look of horror on Sora face at all.  
  
"That foul smelling rodent. That diseased, ugly son of a bitch times ten." Sora said, her eyes flashing dangerously looking more like Sesshoumaru by the minute. "It's bad enough that he had to come here at all and cause all this trouble but no, that wasn't enough, he had to come in October. That asshole!"  
  
"What's so important about October?" Sango asked with a raised eyebrow at the look on the girl's face. Whatever it was, it wasn't good.  
  
"Rin come here." Sora said shortly as the smell of their approaching visitor drew closer. Unsure but deciding to trust Rin hurried over to Sora and was promptly picked up and settled against Sora's shoulder. "Why don't I take these two for a quick walk and meet you guys back here in an hour? Okay, bye." She said quickly before going bounding off into the air, ignoring her father's demand to stay put.  
  
"I think whatever's coming is definitely not a good thing." Sango said as she unhooked her boomerang. "Big trouble."  
  
"I believe you're right." Sesshoumaru said as he pulled his sword from its sheath. "You might want to arm yourself Inu yasha, I have a feeling you're going to need whatever help you can get."  
  
"For probably the first time in your life you could be right about something." Inu yasha sneered back as the four formed a line, braced as something came charging out of the trees, straight at them with a really piercing shriek of anger.  
  
An hour later  
  
"Why did we leave them behind?" Shippou asked for the billionth time as they flew back at the appointed time; he and Rin securely wrapped in her arms as she dashed from tree to tree as they made their way back after spend the last hour fooling around in a meadow. Sora smelled nice, like lilacs but Shippou wasn't easily won over and Kagome always said it was a warrior's job to look after those weaker then himself so he had to protect Rin, even if she was Sesshoumaru's human.  
  
"I've already explained that to you, Shippou." Sora said with a sigh, hoping that everything that was suppose to happen had happened. It damn well better have or she would be in serious jeopardy of never existing. "There was going to be a small squeamish and I thought it best that we were out of the way."  
  
"But I thought you said before that it was better if we stayed together." Rin pointed out wisely as she enjoyed flying through the air. It was a lot funnier then when she'd gone flying with Kagura, that hadn't been fun.  
  
"Yeah but in this case it wasn't a good idea. If I'd stayed then I probably would have had to fight which might have resulted in me screwing up history big time." Sora said, simplifying it for the girl. They were approaching the clearing where she'd left them and if she wasn't mistaken she recognized the voices yelling all to well.  
  
"Cut this chain off now Inu yasha or I won't be held responsible for what I do to you once I'm free." Sango said pretty much at the top of her lungs. Someone had better get the chain off of her arm quick or heads were going to roll and they weren't going to be hacked off quickly.  
  
"I've already tried a dozen times Sango so quit yelling at me okay!" Inu yasha growled, holding his ears that were ringing from all the yelling. Who knew that she had such a large set of lungs in that slender body?  
  
"Well try again, baka." Sesshoumaru growled as he yanked on his end of the chain with more then a hint of anger. "Or I will." He added as his eyes slitted as he glared at the demon hunter who was yanking on the chain as well; annoying him more then was wise. "You might as well stop that, your pathetic human strength is no match for this."  
  
"Well I don't see your big, strong demon muscles doing any better." Sango said deliberately yanking hard on the chain, hoping to send the demon into the dirt, which would have made the situation a lot more tolerable.  
  
Since this wasn't the first time in the last half an hour that she'd tried to do this Sesshoumaru managed to stay on his feet and hold back the urge to give the chain a good yank of his own. Stubborn, bitch this demon hunter, she was more annoying then he'd ever imagined, now he wanted to kill her more then ever. No wonder the woman had no mate yet, there wasn't a human male stupid enough to want to take her. "Shut up before I cut out your tongue, wench." He ordered before turning his concentration back to the chain, which was currently linking them together in a hell of their own making.  
  
"Don't tell me to shut up you over grown donkey, at least my daughter wouldn't have run away from a fight!" Sango said aiming well below the belt.  
  
"She was trying to keep the timeline from altering too much." Kagome said coming to her niece's defence. "If she'd been here she might have been pulled into the fight. Who knows, maybe she even saved Shippou and Rin from getting hurt."  
  
"She could have at least warned us of what was to happen." Inu yasha said still holding his poor ears. The enemy had turned out to be a psycho sorceress bent on making his brother pay for some infraction. Unfortunately she'd wanted Sesshoumaru to suffer first so she'd decided to chain him to Sango for a while before she killed him. Inu yasha had the feeling that both his brother and Sango would have preferred death.  
  
"If she knew I was going to be chained to you and didn't say anything she's a dead half demon, Sesshoumaru." Sango growled as she tried to twist the bracelet connected to the chain that held them together. The chain was about two meters long which didn't give the two much space and both were feeling the effects.  
  
"Oh man." Sora muttered as she heard Sango's last remark, this definitely wasn't good. She was going to have to play dumb she thought to herself as she landed meters away from them. It had been necessary for this event to happen but she had a feeling that it would be a while before they thanked her for it.  
  
"And where have you been?" Sango said glaring at the girl as she set Shippou and Rin carefully on the ground.  
  
"In a nearby meadow, why are you two chained up like that? Did I miss something? I assumed that there was a battle going to take place. Was I mistaken?" Sora said putting on her most innocent expression which was rather hilarious given her resemblance to her father. A demon looking innocent was hard to believe much less pull off.  
  
"You had no idea this would happen?" Sesshoumaru said having a pretty good idea that she'd known exactly what would happen. The question was why had she risked his wrath by allowing it to happen?  
  
"Well I've had some pretty weird dreams and ideas in the past but I don't think I've ever conjured up something like this." Sora said with a smirk at the very idea. "Well since there doesn't seem to be any major problems what's say we hit the road."  
  
So what did you think of this latest chapter? Sorry about the shortness but that's all I've got in my head so far and I decided that I might as well give you some ideas so that you can send me ideas to help me out. Thanks for reading and please review. Ciao 


	5. One Mean Daddy

Disclaimer: Own nothing but my original characters. The rest belong to someone else who's very lucky to own them.

One Mean Daddy

Sora had more than a feeling that if her father could he'd strangle her right now. Chained to the demon hunter had made him a very unhappy demon and she could feel his eyes drilling holes into her back as she walked slightly ahead of them. Luckily Sango had long strides to begin with otherwise her father would have been dragging her by now. Back at the valley they'd tried for another hour to break the chain but not even simultaneously hitting it with her sword and Inu yasha's could break the chain. And so Sesshoumaru and Sango now walked side by side as they continued to walk towards their destination, as far from each other as was possible. Ferio was really going to get a taste of her blade when he showed up again.

"Sora, can I ask you a question?" Kagome asked moving to walk beside her niece. Looking at her aunt wearily Sora hoped that whatever the question was it was one that she could answer.

"You can ask, I won't guarantee that I'll answer it." Sora said as she looked at Kagome briefly before turning her eyes back to the road ahead of them. This wasn't suppose to get interesting until later but just on the slight chance that her family had left something out she saw no problem with keeping a sharp eye out.

"Fair enough. I just wanted to ask you, my children, do they look more demon then human or the other way around? I just want to know if I'll be able to take them to my world to see my family there." Kagome asked with a hopeful look on her face. "You don't see many quarter demons around here and I was just wondering."

* * *

"They look more human then demon. Some of them have golden eyes like Inu yasha which are considered unusual but that doesn't really set them apart. Your children are nearly as at home on your world as they are here." Sora explained, seeing no harm in the question. "When we were little and went with you to the real world your mother would parade us in front of all her friends and they'd ohhh and awww over our golden eyes and elfish ears. Talk about cheek pinchers."

"You came as well?" Kagome asked in surprise.

"Well my parents did need a break from my brothers and I some of the time. Your mother considers my brothers and I her grandchildren as well since Inu yasha and Sesshoumaru are brothers. We were often allowed to come too." Sora said with a faint smile of remembrance. "We sure got into a lot of trouble over there."

"I'll bet." Kagome said with an answering smile, delighted with her response. She'd always hoped that her children would be able to be passed off as normal human beings so that she could take them to her old world. She knew how much her family missed her and it would have hurt her mother not to be able to see her grandchildren and show them off to her friends. Plus she was thrilled that in the future Inu yasha and Sesshoumaru got along, they were brothers after all and the only blood family they had. "So do we live near you and your family or far away?"

"You don't live more than half an hour away from our borders, we see each other a lot. That's why Ferio was so upset when he appeared here. He'd attacked our lower border thinking to catch my family unaware, he wasn't counting on our younger family members putting up much of a fight." Sora said with a dark look. "Big mistake."

"The battle took place on my land?" Sesshoumaru said, speaking up for the first time since he'd accepted the fact that the chain wasn't coming off any time soon. He'd been listening to the girl speak and he wasn't liking the picture she was painting at all. The very thought of living close to his brother, raising their families together was enough to turn his stomach. What was this future and how had it gotten so messed up?

"Yup, in the lower east corner, we were playing football when he showed up, the bastard. Just when we were about to win too." Sora said with a faintly pissed off look crossing her face before vanishing. "One more down would have been all it would have taken to secure it."

* * *

"What's football?" Sango asked, deciding to join the conversation. How the future Sora was describing could be possible was beyond her. Sesshoumaru and Inu yasha had yet to even begin to accept each other's existence, much less call a truce. What had happened to change everything so drastically?

"It's a game where you throw a lemon shaped ball around while tackling your opponents to the ground." Sora explained with relish at the thought of one of her favorite games to play. "You should have seen when Kyou tackle Wufei to the ground, it was a beautiful hit. Hotaru had just thrown him the ball and he was in mid air when Kyou got him from behind. Man did he fly."

"I would imagine." Kagome said having seen a few football games of her own. "A sport that demons could appreciate anyway."

"What's the purpose of the game?" Sango asked curiously, it sounded like a vicious but interesting game to play.

"Well basically the point of the game is to get the ball from one end of the field to the other without the other team stealing your ball or knocking you into the dirt. You have to get so far up the field during your turn with the ball or else you lose it and the other team gets it. A lot of it is brute force and strategy. You have to plan out who goes where, who tackles who, what play to run, etc etc. Aunt Kagome always comes along when we play to fix us up afterwards." Sora said with a grin. "At least half the members on each team will need medical attention before the game ends."

* * *

"And this is a human game?" Sesshoumaru said, surprised that they would come up with such a physically demanding and skill requiring game.

"Yup, you're pretty good at it, Father. We often play our family against Uncle Inu yasha's, when you guys play it gets really interesting." Sora said with a smirk. "Then a lot of us have to be helped off the field."

"That doesn't surprise me at all." Sango said with a dark look in Sesshoumaru direction. "So who was all with you when Ferio attacked?"

"Well most of us kids were there except for the oldest ones who went with Father to go hunting for Ferio. You were back at the manor with Miroku and Rin, Sango. Oh and Jakken was with you too. When Ferio appeared we sent Hotaru and Wufei to go and send the alarm. You guys all arrived at the tail end of it." Sora said with a sigh. "And if he hadn't gone and teleported we would have had him and he knew it, the slimy bastard."

"Do you think anyone was badly hurt?" Kagome asked, instinctively worried about her as yet unborn children. If that asshole had harmed any of them she was going to shoot so many arrows into him that he'd look like a pincushion.

"No, he didn't fatally wound any of us though he did get it a few licks." Sora answered, thinking of what Triton had said. "Don't worry, Aunt Kagome. There's a good reason why our families are revered by demons and humans alike. We actually rarely have to fight in actual battles anymore. Our reputations usually scare them off."

* * *

"That is to be expected." Was Sesshoumaru's arrogant opinion, rather pleased at her report. It was good to know that at least one thing had stayed the same.

"But wouldn't the other demons look down on you because you're not a full blooded demon?" Inu yasha inquired from the front of the line. He could well remember that his behavior or personality as a child hadn't mattered. All that mattered was that he was a half breed, caught between two worlds, belonging in neither.

"Some do but the majority know better." Sora said with more then a hint or pride. "Rin is fully human but many full blooded demons asked Sesshoumaru for her when she was of age. My brothers have their choice of female company in both demon and human worlds, they're accepted in both. The few that have looked down upon us are quickly made to realize their mistake."

"Are they really afraid of me too, Sora?" Shippou asked from Kagome's arms, having been woken up from the sound of their voices.

"Of course they are." Sora said with a smile and a wink. "Scared spitless of you."

"So do I marry a demon?" Rin asked from her Master's side. She'd always wanted to marry a demon when she grew up who was just like her Master.

"You'll have to wait and see, Rin. But I can tell you that he is very handsome and powerful." Sora said turning her head so that she was facing Rin briefly before facing the front again. She didn't want to see her father's face concerning this subject. "You're very happy with him and he and father get along………most of the time."

* * *

"Most of the time?" Sesshoumaru said with a raised eyebrow. Apparently not only had he let someone take his possession as a mate but he also didn't even like the person he'd given her to? What the hell?

"It's a long story." Sora said with a sigh that went slight more evil as an idea occurred to her. She really shouldn't, but what the hell. "Just trust me when I say you won't live to regret it. After all, if you'd refused his suit you wouldn't have your adorable grandchildren."

"GRANDCHILDREN!" Everyone in the group yelled nearly together as they all gapped at Sora who only smiled back at them with more than a hint of glee in her eyes. She was related to Inu yasha after all.

"Did I forget to mention that?"

"I have grandchildren?" Sesshoumaru demanded in a barely controlled voice that more then showed his slowly degrading control. Not only did he have children but he had grandchildren with tainted blood too!

"Am I a grandmother?" Kagome asked with a curious look on her face. Since she'd mated with Inu yasha already and Sesshoumaru had yet to it was likely that they would have children before he did. She had a hard time picturing herself as a mother, much less a grandmother though.

"Yes, three and another on the way." Sora replied, figuring that since she didn't say which child went with which cousin and so on she was safe. Besides, this was very amusing.

"Oh." Kagome said looking rather teary eyed. She was going to be a grandmother.

* * *

"Oh boy." Inu yasha said realizing that that meant he was going to be a grandfather. He was just getting use to the idea of having more then two children and now he found out that he had at least three grandchildren and another on the way. Just how many kids did he have?

"Hehhhh, they're grandfathers." Shippou crowed with a laugh that died when the brothers shot him death glares that shut him up real quick.

"Who has more?" Sesshoumaru asked tensely.

"They do, for now." Sora said without surprise at the question. "But the offers for me have been rolling in and the boys are old enough to start providing you with some more grandchildren so don't worry."

"Him as a grandfather, now there's a scary thought." Sango said with a snicker. "Something tells me that you aren't the type, Sesshoumaru." The thought of him being a grandfather was just too weird not to grin. Well at least his hair was already white so the image wasn't that hard to conjure up.

"Shut up woman before I shut you up myself." Sesshoumaru said tensely as he looked over to the side to glare at Sango who simply grinned back at him. Annoying bitch, this slayer. As soon as they were unchained he was going to rip her to shreds and scatter her remains. After he saw to changing this future he appeared to be doomed to.

* * *

"Leave her alone." Shippou said glaring at him from Kagome's shoulder. Sango was his friend and he wasn't going to let even Fluffy pick on her.

"Don't tell my Master what to do." Rin shot back with her hands on her hips as she glared up at the fox demon. Rather surprised by it Sesshoumaru looked down at his possession and nearly smiled at the picture she made. Obviously she knew that she was far superior to the little fox demon Inu yasha had picked up. Never mind that he was a demon, there obviously must be some human blood in him for the fox brat to be so stupid and foolish.

"I'll say what I want." Shippou said sticking his chin out. "We can kick your Master's butt any day of the week."

"Shippou!" Kagome said in a voice that broke no argument. "No one is kicking anyone's butt and you'll apologize to Rin for using that tone of voice. Sesshoumaru shouldn't have said what he said but that doesn't excuse your behavior."

"Yes ma'am." Shippou said with a belligerent look on his face. "I'm sorry for my tone and the fact that your master doesn't have any manners."

"Shippou." Sango said sharply. "What did I tell you about picking fights?"

* * *

"Don't pick a fight with someone you can't beat or don't know, only a fool walks into a battle he cannot win." Shippou said repeating the lesson word for word. "But I figure since he's chained to you he can't really do a lot."

"I could cut her arm off at the shoulder, then I wouldn't be chained to her and then I could rip you limb from limb for daring to speak to me in that tone." Sesshoumaru said giving the small demon an icy look. Actually cutting an arm off wouldn't be such a bad idea…..

"Don't try it Father, trust me on this." Sora said as she remembered her mother mentioning the fight and how it resulted. "If you cut off your arm the chain will only latch onto your other hand and then you'll be even closer to her then you were before."

"And how would you know since you didn't know that this was going to happen?" Sesshoumaru said quietly, with a deadly tone that hinted at the fact that he thought she'd just walked into a trap. "Hmm?"

"Well I didn't say I didn't know it was going to happen, I just didn't know it was going to happen this morning." Sora said with a delicate shrug of her shoulders. "Otherwise I might have given you some warning, not that it would have done you any good."

* * *

"If I don't succeed in eliminating your mother, thus preventing your birth, I am going to seriously punish you when you get back to your time." Sesshoumaru said with an open glare that drilled into her back.

"I love you too, Daddy." Sora said turning her head to give him a sweet, innocent look. "And I know that you don't mean that, you'd never harm a hair on my head. And eventually you'll feel the same way about mom too."

"Doubtful." Sesshoumaru said with a deadly glare.

"So my brothers and I were just a by product of the fact that you couldn't keep your hands off a human? Gee Father, I didn't realize you were worse then Uncle Miroku." Sora said with an evil look as she started to walk backwards so that she could watch her dad's face go an interesting shade of red. "What would mom say if I told her you only married her for sex."

"SORA!"

"Yes, Father?"

"No one speaks to me like that!" Sesshoumaru growled yanking his sword from his side and moved forward, the blade flying through the air to be deflected by her sword, a grin on her face as she smiled sweetly at him as the sun bounced off their blades.

* * *

"Father, you're blood pressure." Sora said sweetly as she continued to hold her blade steady, a slight pulse in her neck the only give away that it was hard to match her father's strength. Rather surprised at the show of strength Sesshoumaru puzzled for the millionth time as to who her mother could possibly be. Her mother would have to have some strength to have matched him physically. Also for him to have been able to have borne her company long enough to produce more then one child she must have some intelligence, human or not. But what on earth would a human possibly possess to make him willing to bear her company and produce half-breeds?

"Why did I take a human for a mate?" Sesshoumaru growled aloud, not really expecting an answer. "How could I have sunk so low."

"Father, I know you don't want to hear this or believe it but if you kill mother you'll be ruining the rest of your life. I know that right now you view Rin as a possession but if she were to die would you replace her, get another human pet?" Sora asked, looking pointedly at her father and then back to Rin again. Their swords were still crossed and she tried to ignore the way her arms were starting to seize up.

Looking at his daughter then down at Rin who looked up at him expectedly. "No." He finally said, looking at neither of them as he withdrew his sword, placing it in its sheath without a word.

"You might wish I'm a full demon sometimes, Father, but I know you wouldn't trade me in for a hundred full demon daughters." Sora said softly with a quiet smile on her face. "And you wouldn't trade Mother either, you'll see."

* * *

Well that's it for know, hope I haven't traumatized you too much. I think I'll start updating this more or at least I will if it gets lots of reviews. Thanks to all those who have been reviewing and I can't wait to hear what you think. 


	6. Sesshomarusama, SIT!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and original characters, everything else belongs to someone else.

Sesshomaru-sama, Sit!

Well Sora figured that her dad was really going to let her have it when she got back to the future. Oh boy would he ever. More like if she got back though Sora thought with a sigh as they kept walking, mostly silent since every time they seemed to talk a fight or a near fight would erupt. It was only due to the chains attaching her father to Sango that had kept him from trying to ring her neck all day and Sora was getting a pounding headache just thinking about it. She wished one of her brothers were here, or cousins or even Shippou for that matter. The adult one, not the small one Sora corrected mentally. But of course she was alone here with no one to really talk to because the stuff she wanted to talk about they couldn't hear. Maybe Triton would visit again soon; at least she'd be able to talk to him for a few minutes before he'd have to go again. Hearing muttering Sora smiled as she recognized Jakken's voice. The toad was trailing behind because he didn't want to be close to the humans though his excuse was that he was protecting his master's back. Scary as it was she'd even take her present Jakken right now for someone to talk to.

"We should be meeting up with Miroku soon, he suppose to be meeting us a few miles ahead." Kagome said, killing the silence. She figured she better let Sesshomaru know ahead of time so that the demon lord could prepare himself. She knew how much Sesshomaru was going to want to kill Miroku on sight and better to let him know rather then surprise him with the monk's sudden appearance.

"Of course." Sesshomaru said, his displeasure obvious in those two words. The stupid monk would be joining the group again, just when he'd begun to hold the hope that the pathetic weakling had been killed which would explain his absence. Obviously that was too much to ask. Plus Jakken was sulking which was also starting to get on his nerves. He'd been complaining about having to come with Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had had to call up a lot of his training in order to restrain himself from killing the toad.

"A friend of Miroku's in a nearby village has been ill so Miroku went to the village to keep him company while he gets better." Kagome said for Sora's benefit.

A thoughtful look on her face Sora remembered her mother commenting that when Miroku was younger he was even more of a flirt and pervert then he was in her own present time. Of course he'd never behaved that way towards her as her father would kill him and she was too young but would he try something now since he didn't know about either? 

"You might want to watch out for his hands, Sora." Sango said as though reading her thoughts. "He has a tendency to put them where they shouldn't be."

"So you've told me." Sora said with a smirk. "If Kagome wasn't telling fish tales I know how often you've sent him flying into the dirt for such things. If he tries anything I believe I will follow suit though I'm likely to cause him more damage."

"He will not lay a hand on you." Sesshomaru said firmly and coolly. He might not want her for a daughter but until he was able to change that she was his, the monk would not lay a filth paw on her or he'd die a death more painful then he could imagine.

"My hero." Sora said with a warm smile that was only met with a sharp scowl. Turning her head back to face the road Sora wiped the smile off her face and concentrated on looking aloof and demonish, smiling inside the whole time. Maybe right know he wanted her about as much as a punch in the head but he did care, even if only a bit. Progress. Plus he'd started to match his pace to Sango's instead of dragging her along after him as he'd walked his normal speed. Of course he'd likely slowed his walk so that he wouldn't keep having to pull her along but still, it was an improvement.

Shaking his head at her Sesshomaru wondered at her. She looked so much like him and she didn't fear him at all, he had feared and respected his father when his father had been alive. His father had been a great demon and had deserved those reactions, many compared him to his father but he had a feeling that his daughter would never fear him, she seemed to trust him completely, like Rin. Looking down at Rin Sesshomaru watched her watch Sora as she kept pace at his side. She would get too tired to walk soon but knowing his brother's group they'd likely stop for a while when they met up with the monk to refresh and take a break. Speaking of the monk he was pretty sure he smelled the rat now.

"He's waiting for us." Inuyasha told them and Sesshomaru nodded his agreement of his brother's assessment. Looking over at the slayer Sesshomaru noticed that she looked happy that they would be seeing the monk soon and yet the moron was constantly treating her with disrespect and pervertedly. Were she and the monk mates then, he doubted that the demon slayer could have lasted this long if she were so stupid. Then again perhaps the demon slayer deserved to get stuck with the monk, a fitting hell for her to live in as punishment for all the annoyance she had caused him. 

"Wait till he meets you, Sora. Boy is he gonna be surprised." Shippou said from the ground as he walked beside Kagome.

"I'll bet." Sora said with a smirk as she looked up the hill to see a figure perched on a large rock, Miroku waiting for them to arrive. "It's been a while since I've seen him, it'll be interesting to see whether or not he lives up to his reputation."

"Oh you can count on it." Sango said as she rolled her eyes in the monk's direction. There was no doubt in her mind what-so-ever that as soon as the monk caught sight of Sora he'd be all over her like a vulture on a carcass. Not that she cared of course, she'd given up on ever having a relationship with the monk, Miroku just couldn't keep his hands off every woman that crossed his path. She was willing to make exceptions but would never bind herself to a man who had so little self-control. 

"I'll go ahead and inform him not to lay his hands on you, Sora." Inuyasha said as he looked back at her. "That way he won't end up dead."

"Thanks." Sora said with a nod and watched her uncle bound away, his feet barely touching the ground as he kicked up dust behind him. Her uncle was always doing things like that for her Sora thought fondly as she followed him with her eyes. He had always been like a second father to her and he and father often joined forces to keep males and anything remotely dangerous from cross her path. Of course they were the same with all the females in their family but they were at their worst when it came to her and her cousin Hotaru. In her cousin's case it was kinda justified as Hotaru was really too sweet and nice for her own good but Sora had always been of the opinion that since she'd managed to survive having four older brothers there was really nothing that could scare her.

"I hope his friend's okay." Kagome said as they reached the half way point of the hill, glad the long walk would soon be over with a break ahead. "Apparently the man was very ill."

"I'm sure he's fine, Kagome." Sango said reassuringly. Kagome was always doing that, worrying about everyone whether she knew them or not. Sometimes Sango couldn't help but think that Kagome was just to sweet and nice for her own good, it was bound to get her into real trouble one of these days if Inuyasha wasn't around.

"Hello down there." Miroku called down to them and could wait to meet this daughter of Sesshomaru's from the future. Not only was she his daughter but a not full demon blooded one at that! And his poor beloved Sango, chained to the demonic bastard. He'd find a way to free her though, even if it meant killing Sesshomaru himself.

"Hello yourself." Kagome called out to him as she waved up at him. "How's your friend doing?" she added as she lifted Shippou into her arms to give him a break, the hill was about to get just a little too steep for her liking and she didn't want to risk him falling. "You might want to carry Rin, Sesshomaru, its about to get really steep."

Raising an eyebrow at her comment Sesshomaru looked down at Rin who looked up at his eagerly. He didn't carry her, she didn't need to be carried and if she did Jakken could do it. But looking back at the toad demon silently covering his back Sesshomaru doubted he could carry the child's weight. He was going to have to carry her. Clenching his jaw Sesshomaru scooped up Rin with his free had and held her against his chest.

"Master." Rin gapped in surprise at the change in position, her master never carried her. Happier then she'd been in a long time Rin wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head down on his chest, snuggling into the embrace.

Shocked by Rin's actions Sesshomaru looked down at Rin as he forced his pace to slow down once again for the sake of the weak slayer. She was behaving like Shippou Sesshomaru realized as he remembered how Kagome had cuddled the fox to her when he'd gotten tired of walking. But why on earth would Rin wish to copy what the fox had done, he was not her parent as the fox obviously viewed Kagome. Though in some way he was Sesshomaru realized with a start. Kagome wasn't the fox demon's mother yet she was essentially acting as one, teaching and taking care of him. He did the same for Rin, but he wasn't her father, she was human, not a demon, but then neither was Sora.

"Kagome, Sango." Miroku said with a wide grin as he hugged Kagome hello then glaring at Sesshomaru the whole time walked over to Sango and gave her a hug as well. "You're well, Sango?" he asked motioning to Sesshomaru with a slight nod of his head in the demon's direction.

"I'm chained to him, enough said." Sango said with a smirk. " And this is Sora." She added motioning with her head in the direction of the girl who was watching them closely, studying them almost.

"A pleasure to meet you, my dear Sora." Miroku said walking over to drop into a bow before grinning up at the gorgeous demon in front of him. She may have inherited some of Sesshomaru's looks but he was sure that unlike Sesshomaru she wasn't a satanic monster. "I am Miroku, the monk."

"Yes, I know." Sora said with a small smile. Miroku looked so much like his son it wasn't even funny really. At least his son didn't eat up anything in a skirt the way his father was currently doing. She'd heard that Sango and Miroku had once been considered a couple in the past but from what she could see they appeared to be only good friends, as it should be. She liked Miroku, she honestly did but he was a womanizing pervert.

"So I'm still around in the future, good to know." Miroku said with a wink. "Looks you have quite a family, Fluffy. Do you suppose more will be popping up anytime-?" Never finishing his sentence as Sora brought her closed fist down upon his head, efficiently shutting him up as he slid to the ground in an unconscious state.

"Father would have down worse if he'd finished that sentence." Sora said in lieu of an apology. She'd done it for the moron's own good, lord only knows what her father would have done to him if he'd finished that line of thought.

"She's right." Inuyasha said with a grin as he looked down at the monk who lay in the dirt with a growing lump on his head. "I guess here is as good a place as any to take a break, we'll rest and head out in a half an hour."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Kagome agreed as she walked over to another rock with Shippou still in her arms. Setting him down on top of the rock Kagome unslugged her backpack and setting it down on the ground began to rifle through it. "Here you guys go." She added pulling out a box of energy bars. Giving one to Shippou Kagome threw bar a bar to Inuyasha, carrying Sango's over to her in case the chain would interfere with her catching it. "Would you like one, Rin, Sora, Sesshomaru-sama?" Kagome added looking over at them.

"No thank you, Aunt Kagome." Sora said shaking her head politely. "I'm not hungry, I think I'll just sit down and rest up."

"May I have one Master?" Rin asked and with a start Sesshomaru realized that he was still holding her with his free hand. Setting her down he took the bar from Kagome and looking it over shot Kagome a look but never the less handed the bar to Rin who opened it and began to munch on it happily. When Kagome offered him one he simply stared at her until she left to sit beside Inuyasha and Shippou on the rock.

"Good huh, kid?" Sango said eating her bar as she looked down at Rin who'd sat down at her Master's side, happily eating her bar. The little girl reminded her of her brother in a lot of ways and Sango was amazed that the girl could seem so content and happy when she belonged to a Master like Sesshomaru. Or did she belong to him Sango wondered as an idea occurred to her. If Rin were to try to leave him would he go after her and if so why? If Sora spoke true then perhaps Sesshomaru only showed emotion towards the girl, he had carried her and that was very un-Sesshomaru behaviour. Who was the real man Sango wondered, never really having bothered to find out.

"Does Sango-chan want to sit down?" Rin asked looking up at her, thinking that the demon slayer looked rather worn out.

"I'm afraid sitting down isn't an option right now, Rin." Sango said with a shrug. Sitting down sounded nice but she couldn't possibly sit down comfortably without Sesshomaru doing the same and that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Could Master sit down so that Sango-chan can sit down?" Rin asked her Master, figuring out what Sango meant. Looking up at him pleadingly Rin smiled sweetly as she waited for his answer. "After all, if Sango-chan gets to tired to walk you'll have to carry her, Master. Please, Sesshomaru-sama."

By the Gods what had he done to deserve this Sesshomaru wondered in horror as he stared down at Rin. She wanted him to sit down, on the ground so that the slayer could rest? Carry her, he'd fall on his brother's blade first. But if he didn't want that to happen he was going to have to sit down and how would that look? It would look like he'd gone so soft he was being lead around by Rin, that's how it would look. And if one would pardon the pun she was very close to his pun she was using puppy dog eyes against him. But should he sit or stand. He had no intention of carrying the slayer but neither did he have any wish to look like Rin could dictate his actions, she couldn't after all. "Feh." Sesshomaru said, unaware that he'd just uttered his brother's favourite word. With a dark look in Rin's direction the Great Lord of the West sat down on the ground, yanking on the chain to make Sango do the same. 

Surprised Sango sat down too, glad to have the chance to rest her legs. She hadn't thought the demon would actually do as Rin had asked, in fact she'd rather expected the girl to be punished for daring to even ask. Looking at him out of the corner of her eye she smiled slightly at the sight beside her. Sesshomaru sat, straight and tall, his eyes straight ahead as though he were lost in thought or meditating. Rin had sat down beside him and was happily drawing in the dirt with a stick, humming some tune under her breath. Watching her Sango smiled wider then turned her gaze to Sora who was watching the pair too, a smile on her face as well. Who was her mother? Sango wondered for the thousandth time as she tried to figure out what it was about the girl that intrigued her so. It was something about her that reminded Sango of someone, yet for the life of her she couldn't think who. Oh well, it was time to rest and prepare for the walk ahead, hopefully Miroku would be awake by then. 

They were just about to leave, Miroku finally awake when the voices met their ears. The voices were coming from the bottom of the hill and it was damn near impossible to ignore them since both of the people appeared to be yelling at the top of their lungs. What confused the group most was the fact that it would appear that the voices had appeared out of nowhere. One minute there had been nothing and then the next Inuyasha, Sesshomaru and Shippou had caught the scent of a dog demon and another creature t the bottom of the hill.

"I swear to the Gods male dog demons are the stupidest things they ever created. As soon as I figure out where the hell we are I'm going to slowly and painfully torture you until you beg me to let you die you stupid, brainless, incompetent, pitiful excuse for a demon!" A female voice called out, the one who smelled like nothing any of them had ever smelled.

"Speak for yourself you-you fish thing. This isn't my fault, it's yours. If you hadn't told me what that word was I never would have been able to send us here." The male dog demon said loudly, his anger obviously. "You can't blame all this on me, Andrea, no way I'm taking all the heat for this one."

"And who's going to give us heat, stupid, we have no idea where we are and I very much doubt we're going to be running into our parents anytime soon." The female said and there came the sound of someone being struck upside the head. "And don't stick your tongue out at me."

"I know those voices." Sora said and moving to the edge of the hill looked down and stared at the two figures at the bottom of the hill, it couldn't be-could it?

"Hey, what have I told you about hitting me in the head." The male growled as he rubbed the spot where she'd whacked him. "You're worse then mom with her sits." 

"Sits?" Kagome said looking over at Inuyasha who looked back at her with a startled look on his face. "Did he just say what I think he did?"

"Hey wait a minute, I know those scents." The male said suddenly and whirling around stared up at the top of the hill they'd just landed in front of. "Those people up there smell like my family?"

"Do you think you might have actually done something right for a chance?" Andrea said with a hopeful look as she looked up towards the hill too. As a water demon her sense of smell wasn't great but her mental powers and if she wasn't mistaken Kyou might have actually managed to do something all right for once without screwing it up.

"Sora!" Kyou called out and whooped when he saw a familiar figure running down the hill at amazing speed. With another war whoop he ran towards her, meeting her half way as they flew into each other, rolling part way down the hill as they hugged each other at the familiar face. Rolling her eyes at them but smiling happily Andrea followed him up, hoping that the two would stop with the rolling, otherwise they'd end up at the bottom of the hill in a heap, possibly taking her with them.

"Kyou, what are you doing here?" Sora laughed, not even caring that she was getting dirty as she hung onto her older cousin. Here she'd been wishing that he was here and what did he do, appeared out of nowhere with Andrea in tow. Finally coming to a stop the two cousins got up, arms still wrapped around each other. Even though both had been told that the other was okay they'd both had nagging voices in the back of there heads that hinted that maybe they hadn't been told the complete truth.

"Well you didn't think I was going to risk losing out on finishing our game now did you?" Kyou said with a huge grin as he wiped a smudge of dirt from her face. "Besides, I want another shot at the King of Ugly."

"Sora?" Kagome called out, unsure if they should approach. My God Kagome thought, her eyes going wide as she stared at the dog demon at Sora's side. If his hair was longer and white, with dog-ears instead of at the sides he could pass for Inuyasha in a pinch.

"Holy Mother Mary, Mom, is that you?"

Well that's it for now, lovely cliff-hangers, no? Anyway I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter and that you'll review so that I know that people are still interested in this story. Thanx again and have a great day. 


	7. Kyou and Andrea

Note: As always I own nothing but my original characters and the plot. Also for all you Reboot fans out there the character Andrea is pronounced like the Andrea in the show.

Kyou and Andrea

All was quiet as the people in the group absorbed the sentence Kyou had blurted out. The young man in question simply stood at his cousin's side as he stared at the girl before his who looked exactly like his sister, Hotaru but smelled like his mother. Eyes moving to her side Kyou's eyes went the size of saucer plates as he looked into his father's eyes in a much younger face. "Holy Mother Mary." Kyou finally said as he used one of his favourite sayings. "We really did go back into the past." 

"You think, Moron. Of all the times for you to get something right for a change it had to be this time." Andrea said with a roll of her eyes, drawing attention onto her for the first time. She was the same height as the dog demon she'd come with only she was unlike anything anyone from that time period had ever seen. Her hair was a dark blue with forest green streaks through it, her hair short and Sesshoumaru was surprised to notice that it was as short as the monk's without the ponytail. She was wearing white robes that were slightly transparent in places, and she was obviously uncomfortable in it from the way she kept tugging at it. Her eyes were slanted and a deep blue, her face reminding Kagome of an elf, especially with the girl's really pointy ears.

"Quit calling me a moron, Andrea." Kyou said as he looked at her with a dark scowl. Andrea was always blaming everything on him, this had not been his fault and there was no way he was letting her say it had been. "I wouldn't have got here if it weren't for you, ya know. You told me how to pronounce the damn thing."

"How did you get here, have you figured out how to get Ferio and I back to our time period?" Sora asked eagerly as she looked from one to the other. She was eager to get home before something else happened to screw the timeline up, lord only knows what kind of damage could be done accidentally by the three of them. 

"No, and its not my fault we got here either." Andrea said shooting her companion a dark look of her own. "When Celine prophesised that Ferio would start a fight that would result in you being transported with him I set off for your father's lands immediately bring what books and scrolls I thought might aid us in getting you back. While Rin was talking to your father Shippou and I were discussing possible strategies while Kyou looked at the scrolls. Then the stupid dog asked me how to pronounce a word and when I answered he began to speak the spell out loud. I tried to get the book away before he finished, knowing the danger but all I succeeded in doing was get sucked in with him!"

"Well if you hadn't told me how to pronounce the word it would have never happened. And besides, how was I suppose to know that we'd get transported back here huh? I'm not the mind reader, you are!" Kyou said with a dark look before turning back to Kagome with what could only be described as puppy dog eyes. "It wasn't my fault, Mom. I didn't mean to do it, honest."

"I'm sure you didn't." Kagome said hesitantly, not sure what else to say. He was so cute though Kagome said with a smile as he smiled back at her, just like his father only with her hair and ears.

"Hey Uncle Sesshoumaru, how come you're chained up to Aunt Sango that way? Did I miss something here?" Kyou said as he looked at Sora in confusion as he finally noticed the fact that his aunt and uncle were chained together and looking none too happy about it. "Hey wait a minute, is that you, Rin?" Kyou added in delight as he caught sight of the little girl hiding behind his uncle's leg. "Wow, you look so little, now there's a change." He added with a laugh.

"You're, you're Sora's cousin?" Rin asked hesitantly as she looked up at him curiously.

"Yours too last time I checked. Course usually I wouldn't have to look this far down." Kyou said with a friendly smile as he looked at his older cousin who smiled back at him shyly. Too bad Triton wasn't here; Kyou would love to see the look on the water demon's face to see what his wife looked like in this time period. "You don't look much older then your own daughter. How far back have we gone, Sora?"

"I'm not born yet and my father hates my mother, keep that in mind. Your mom's eighteen right now." Sora said giving him a measured look, hoping he'd get the message she was trying to get across. Kyou might act like a moron a lot of the time but he was actually very smart and surely he must realize what a delicate position they were in. It had been bad enough with her here to screw things up but now all three of them were there the damage they could accidentally do wasn't hard to imagine. She was going to be born God damn it. 

"You have got to be-of all the times to send us to it had to be this one!" Kyou said with a shake of his head, understanding her completely. In other words he couldn't refer to Sora's mother at all and it would be a really good idea to tone down the affection with his uncle, as he was likely to send him into the dirt for it. "Never mind about the chain thing, I remember."

"So Kyou, right? Who's this lovely lady?" Miroku asked as he slide towards Andrea with a charming smile on his face. "It's a pleasure to meet such a beautiful creature. My name is Miroku miladddddddddyyyyyyyyy." Miroku finished with a scream as she drew her hand back, palm out and as quickly he was flying through the air like a spear, flying back and into the rocks on top of the hill. Instantly the only sound to follow was sound of Andrea's fingers cracking as she controlled her anger.

"Ouch, that's got to hurt." Kyou said in sympathy as he looked up towards the hill. Andrea had sent him flying on more then one occasion and he could feel sorry for his Uncle Miroku who hadn't yet learned to watch his thoughts around female water demons. With a smirk he remembered a particular wall near his home that still bore the imprint of his uncle after Miroku had been introduced to Triton's female soldiers for the first time.

"How did you do that?" Sesshoumaru demanded to know as he stared at her with a hint of curiosity that didn't show overly.

"I'm a water demon, our power is in our minds, we're not solely dependent on our body strength to protect ourselves." Andrea said with a dark look at the top of the hill. "We all have varying degrees of telekinetic, empathy and mind reading, it comes in handy when dealing with land demons as well as humans."

"Ah, that would explain why you hit him with that mental blast." Sango said with a smirk as she looked up to the hill where Miroku was likely trying to recover from his flight. "It's not hard to guess what was going through his thoughts." She added with a chuckle, wondering how many more times this girl would send Miroku flying before he caught on to the idea of not looking at the girl like he wanted to eat her.

"It would appear that none of you were exaggerating when you said that he was very perverted when he was younger, here I thought he couldn't be any worse then he was in our time." Andrea said with a dark look that was even darker then before. "I'm Andrea by the way, since you have as yet no memories of me."

"Pleasure to meet you Andrea." Kagome said with a warm smile, liking the girl who'd come with her son already. "I take it you know everyone here?" 

"Of course, Lady Kagome, as well as my own family. Sesshoumaru-sama, as always I am at yours and your kin's service." Andrea said with a low bow, before straightening, a warrior's look in her eye. She was not pleased to be here without her weapons and had she not been in Sesshoumaru-sama and Lady Rin's presence she would have happily strangled Kyou. Of all the times for him to send them here it had to be when she wasn't armed with even a dagger to protect herself. Not that she depended on weapons of course but still, it was the principle of the thing. She was on land and land demons loved to hunt water demons, those that could recognize a water demon that was. Some of the stupider races had been raised to believe that to drink a water demon's blood was to gain their knowledge, hence water demons avoided the land. Sesshoumaru was the only demon of land that the water demons of her line held any sort of pact with and had Rin not married Triton that pact might have never occurred.

"At my service?" Sesshoumaru asked as he raised an eyebrow. He knew of water demons though he had never faced one. They were suppose to be truly great demons with unimaginable mental strength, how had he acquired one and one who obviously bore him great loyalty.

"Yes, it is my duty to protect Lady Rin with my life and through her the lives of those she holds dear and calls kin." Andrea explained with a nod, realizing that Sesshoumaru didn't know that they were kin through marriage. "In my time I am her personal bodyguard, it was only due to an illness in my family that I was not with her when Ferio attacked. Had I been there then perhaps we would not be in this current situation."

"Oh quit beating yourself up, Andrea. Who's to say your presence would have made any difference." Kyou said gently as he moved over to place a hand on his shoulder, his entire personality shifting as he read his best friend correctly. They might fight like dogs on a regular basis but he wasn't going to let her beat herself up. "Besides, think of this as a good learning experience."

"He's right, for once." Sora said with a smirk, hoping to get a smile out of the water demon she'd known since birth. "Besides, had you been there you would have been with Rin, not with us down at the field. Anyway I take it from your clothing that you guys came here at night in our present."

"Yes, I suppose I can't take this blasted thing off can I?" Andrea said motioning down to the white robe. She'd only worn it because there had been other demons besides her mistress's family and so she'd been forced to cover up. She hated land clothing with a passion and she was pretty sure she was going to be stuck in them for a while.

"Unfortunately, I have a feeling that we'd only be asking for more trouble if you were to wander around in your own clothes." Sora said with an apologetic smile, knowing how uncomfortable water demon's tended to find land clothing. Her eldest brother's wife often refused to wear the clothing, cause her brother constant frustration. Then again Keely was Andrea's sister, even if Keely wasn't as hot headed as Andrea they both weren't big fans of the land. "How long have you been out of water for?"

"About thirty hours, I feel fine though." Andrea said with an accepting sigh. Knowing that there was really little that could be done about it. She would need to get into some water within the next ten hours but she wouldn't mention it until it became a problem. Looking around she'd say it was early afternoon at the very least, when night fell she could find a small body of water to regenerate as her body required her to have a lot of water in her system at all times.

"We should be heading out, we still have a while to go before we intend to stop for the night." Inu yasha said roughly as he tried to ignore the boy who was apparently his son who appeared to have a personality somewhere between Kagome's and Shippou's. Shaking his head at the thought Inu yasha looked up the hill and hoped that he wouldn't have to carry the monk very far. 

"Then let's go." Sora said with a nod, motioning towards the hill where Miroku was likely still unconscious. "Kyou and I can handle Uncle Miroku if he's still unconscious."

"I knocked him out, I'll carry the moron." Andrea said with a sigh as she began to walk up the hill, the others following as the three time travellers argued over who was going to carry their uncle leaving their parents and kin staring at them with varying degrees of surprise and shock. This was definitely getting weirder and weirder as the days went by.

It was well on its way to getting pitch black when the tired group finally hit the camp site they'd been aiming for. The site was relatively sheltered from the elements and had a small lake near it, which made it perfect in Andrea's opinion. Soon they had a fire going and as she watched the others set up camp Sango realized that she was going to have a hard time getting any sleep at all since she was chained to the demon lord. Demons didn't require sleep at all and it was doubtful he'd see the need to take into account her sleep requirements. Groaning inside Sango looked at him out of the corner of her eye and bit back another groan as things just seemed to be getting worse and worse. The demon lord was watching her out of the corner of his own eyes and Sango figured he was thinking of disposing of her in order to be free of the chain.

Actually she would have been really surprise to know that he was thinking of how to go about letting her get the sleep she'd need to keep up with him as oppose to simply killing her to break free. He was pretty sure that the sorceress would have thought of that anyway so there would be some unforeseeable backlash to such a manoeuvre. Deciding he might as well simply let her have her way without argument Sesshoumaru moved closer to the fire then sat down, yanking the chain slightly to get her to follow him. 

Thoroughly confused Sango moved forward and sat down beside him, her eyes staring at him openly. With his clothing and tail he had no need of the fire's heat, why would he move closer to it. She wanted to ask but something in his profile warned great trouble if she did so. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Rin rush over with several berries she'd found in her hands. Without any worry or hesitation the girl plopped down beside Sesshoumaru and held out her hands. Despite the fact that he didn't need to eat anything the demon lord picked up one of the berries and ate it, refusing to Rin's offer of more. The girl then got up and tried to offer some to Jakken who refused to even look at the berries. With a sigh the girl moved over to Sango and held out the berries, which were getting more squashed by the second. Accepting two with a smile Sango popped them in her mouth and felt her stomach rumble in hunger. 

"Are you hungry, Rin?" Sesshoumaru asked when she sat back beside him, her usual bright smile on her face as she finished off the berries, which were practically nothing more then stains on her hands now.

" A little Sesshoumaru-sama." Rin admitted as she licked her fingers, enjoying the sticky juice that was staining her hand purple. "But I'm okay, those berries were good, weren't they?"

"Yes. Jakken, go get something for Rin and the rest to eat." Sesshoumaru ordered, wanting to take back his words as soon as they left his lips. What did he care if the others starved, they were nothing to him.

"AH!!!!! I can't find it! I can't find it Sora, Andrea, have you seen it!" Kyou yelled from the other side of the fire, turning attention away from Sesshoumaru's strange remark and over to him. The boy looked quite upset as he paced in front if the fire, jabbing his hands in and out of his pockets frantically.

"What can't you find?" Sora said with a roll of her eyes, figuring that he'd dropped his lucky penny or something trivial like that.

"I dropped my sketch book somewhere, it had my present for grandmother's birthday." Kyou said with a look of pure puppy misery. "I was working on it before I started looking through those books. I couldn't have lost it, I need that book or else I'll never get it all done! What if it fell out of my pocket when we were transported, what if I never find it or even if I do find it what if I never get back in time to paint it for her? The present was suppose to be from Mika and I, she'll kill me slowly and painfully if I don't get it done!"

"Mika?" Sesshoumaru asked as he raised an eyebrow. If he wasn't mistaken the name meant new moon in Japanese.

"My older sister, the evil one." Kyou said shooting a pleading look up at the sky. "Picture dad only more violent and you've got Mika, everyone with half a brain is afraid of her in our time! She's going to kill me, skin me and wear me for a coat."

"She's not that bad, he's exaggerating." Sora said with a shake of her white hair. "Though most people are scared of her." 

"I am not exaggerating, what about the time Ronin pissed her off by telling her she couldn't try to cross that really bas bridge? She just about killed him!"

"She did not almost kill him, it would take a lot more then a tree thrown at his head to kill my brother." Sora argued, standing up for her second oldest brother. "And she did nearly break her neck crossing that bridge you know."

"Is this it?" Rin asked as she pulled something from her kimono. "I found it near the berry patch, it has pretty pictures in it."

"Oh thank you thank you, thank you!" Kyou said jumping over to take the sketchbook from her, flipping through to make sure it was his and that everything was still in place. "You're the best, Rin." Kyou said stuffing it into his pocket before picking her up and giving her a big kiss on the cheek. "Next time you need a babysitter, I'm your guy."

"Get your hands off my property before you lose those hands." Sesshoumaru ordered in a voice that broached no argument.

"Yes sir." Kyou said as he set her down on the ground, adding a salute just cause it seemed like the thing to do. "Letting go now."

"Land demons." Andrea said with a shake of her head. "Who can figure them."


	8. What's In A Name?

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the plot and my original characters. Thanks to all those who have been reviewing and have a great day.

What's In a Name?

Sango woke up feeling a lot warmer on her front then on her back. Opening her almond eyes Sango stared at the young girl cuddled against her and couldn't prevent the small smile that came to her face. The child had curled up against her during the night, obviously dragging Sesshoumaru's tail along with her as it was wrapped around her like a blanket. As they'd slept facing the opposite ways Sango got up on an elbow and looked behind her to see the demon lord watching her with his golden eyes, unblinking and cold as usual. They'd always unnerved her, those eyes of his. If you looked at him objectively he actually had a very beautiful face, stunning actually until you got to the eyes. The eyes were what made all that other beauty void because in those golden eyes of his you could see the darkness within him. They held gazes for a while then the demon lord simply arched a brow and turned his head to look to their left. Moving slightly, careful not to jar Rin Sango looked over as well and saw Kyou and Sora talking away. Actually Kyou was doing all the talking; Sora appeared to simply be listening with a half ear. What a pair those two were Sango thought with a grin. Kyou reminded her of a squirrel, always moving and chattering, yet not a stupid creature all in all. True he acted like he didn't have a brain in his head a few times since she'd met him there was something in the way he walked and looked at his surroundings that suggested he was quite capable of living up to his family's reputation. Then there was Sora, a female version of Sesshoumaru except for the eyes. There was no darkness in the girl's eyes and she seemed kinder, gentler somehow.

"Hard to believe she is of my blood. Isn't it demon slayer?"

Sango turned her head to see Sesshoumaru looking at her expectedly. "In some ways it is and in others it's obvious. I don't just mean the physical either, it's more the way she holds herself and the slight superiority complex." Sango replied in answer to his question. 'She's a credit to you." She added then could have kicked herself. Of all the stupid things to say, even if she meant it. She'd seen how hard it was to raise a child properly and whatever his faults Sesshoumaru seemed to be doing a good job with Rin and Sora appeared to have turned out all right.

"I suppose so." Sesshoumaru replied, surprised at the offhanded compliment. Since he'd been forced to stay where he was all during the night due to Rin he'd had time to think and had wondered about the demon slayer. He didn't know much about her as every time they'd met it had begun and ended with a battle. He knew that Nataku had killed her entire family and village, her brother living long enough to be Nataku's puppet before the boy had finally been allowed to die. What must that do to a person? Especially a weak human female. Of course his Rin's past was no better and she was happy enough. On that note he looked down at Rin who was still fast asleep, dreaming the dreams of the innocent. Part way through the night he'd felt her pull on his tail and had looked over to see her dragging his tail closer to Sango. He'd noticed then that the slayer was shivering slightly and as he'd watched Rin had cuddled against the slayer, using her body heat to warm Sango, using his tail to blanket them both. She did things like that all the time, a human characteristic he didn't understand. Had it been him he would have ignored her discomfort, had they not been stuck together would have slaughtered her in her sleep for all the problems she'd caused him in the past and more importantly to make his brother suffer. Looking over at the slayer again Sesshoumaru wondered what was going through her head then his eyes widened as he watched her getting to her knees and taking off the thin blanket she'd used during the night put it over Rin for added warmth. She must have sensed his eyes looking at her because she met his gaze then smiled slightly as though she knew her actions had perplexed him. She sat back down because of course she could go nowhere without him, rummaging through her satchel for something. 

Sango smiled as she finally found the brush and reaching up quickly undid the hair elastic that held her hair in its usual ponytail. Shaking her hair out Sango went to work brushing it out, wincing as she hit tangles. Her mother always said that she just needed to be patient and not tear her hair out but Sango hated taking the time and tended to just yank it through despite how much that tended to hurt.

"Is there a reason you're trying to rip your hair out?" Sesshoumaru asked in an amused tone and Sango looked over to see him watching her as before, an unnerving habit he seemed to have developed overnight.

"I'm not trying to rip it out, I just have really thick hair that knots easily. Therefore I have to brush it." Sango said as she continued to send the bristles of the brush through her hair. "I would imagine you have to do the same with yours, it's longer then mine."

"Rin does it." Sesshoumaru said with a smirk. "And she doesn't yank like you're doing."

"Yeah well that's probably because she's got to worry about you eating her if she does." Sango said as she gave him a dark look. "And you might have noticed that I don't have any servants to pamper me."

"I don't eat humans, I simply kill them." Sesshoumaru corrected with a wolfish grin. "I doubt very much that there's such thing as a tasty human, even if one did require to eat which I do not. Besides, neither of you would be any sort of a meal if I did." 

"Well there's a relief." Sango said tartly as she came upon a really bad tangle. "Son of a boar." Sango growled as the bristles caught in her hair. Trying to get her hair from catching only made it worse and Sango was about to call over to Miroku to give her a hand when she became aware that someone was standing behind her. Looking up she saw Sora looking down at her calmly.

"Would you like some help?" Sora asked calmly as she looked at Sango and then at the brush that was wrapped in Sango's dark tresses.

"Yes, thank you." Sango said as she let go of the brush. Turning her head to give the other girl better access Sango prepared to wince and was surprised when instead Sora began to patiently untangle the strands of hair, being as gentle as can be; her claws moved through the hair as though the task was being given the demon's entire attention. "You're really good at this."

"My mom's always getting her hair in tangles, I sometimes helped her when Dare isn't around to do it." Sora said with a smile as she carefully worked out a large piece of the overall problem. Her hair tended to tangle like this too only she had more patience.

"Dare?" Sango asked as she shifted slightly.

"The youngest of my brothers. You see one time father took out the other three hunting, a demon that had been giving us some problems. Father wouldn't let Dare go with them because he was too young and Father said that he'd be a distraction because he and my other brothers would be worried that he'd get hurt, he was around eight. So anyway he stayed home and my mother asked him one day to help her because she'd gotten her brush stuck in her hair. So Dare helped untangle it and then offered to finish brushing it for her. So he did and he still does it sometimes, mom and Dare are really close, he's more of the non-violent type. My other brothers and I are more like dad so it was only fair that one of us take after her." Sora said with a smile. "Not that we're not all close to Dare, just that Mom understands him best."

"Sounds like he's a nice guy." Sango agreed with a smile. Well at least the kids would have a good mother to balance the stone block of a father. 

"Oh he is, he lives in my Mom's old world with Mika and Wufei's family." Kyou chimed in as he walked over, his eyes bright with merriment, which was out of place given the fact that it was very early in the morning. "The poor guy though, the girls and art critics are always mobbing him."

"My son gets mobbed by girls?" Sesshoumaru demanded, not liking the sound of this son at all. And what was this about his youngest son living in Inu yasha's bitch's world? And what the hell were art critics?

"Well yeah, Dare and Ronin are really popular with the ladies, especially Dare." Kyou said as he moved his eyebrows up and down suggestively. "Kohaku and Kiyoshi would be popular with the ladies if they weren't so much like you Uncle Sesshoumaru, all the girls are afraid of them. Well not the female water demons but everyone else is. Mom says that she doesn't blame them either."

"Did you say Kohaku?" Sango asked in a strangled voice as she whipped her head around to look at Sesshoumaru. "One of your sons is named Kohaku?"

"Apparently, your point would be?" Sesshoumaru asked dryly, slightly curious at the fact that the demon slayer looked agitated over the name. What was wrong with it? Ronin meant samurai without a master, Sorano meant of the sky and Kiyoshi meant quiet one. The other two he had no idea but were likely just as good names. Why was she so upset over that name? Wait a minute, he was pretty sure Kohaku meant amber as in the stone but that shouldn't have upset her, so what was she getting upset about?

"That was her brother's name." Inu yasha said as he came up with Kagome close behind, a still dozing Shippou in her arms.

"Oh." Sesshoumaru said not knowing what else to say. Since he didn't even know his son he couldn't explain why he'd chosen that particular name for his son. There would have had to be a good reason though, a name was important. Perhaps because amber was a strong stone that was rare and highly valued?

"Well it's a good name, at least he didn't name Kohaku Sesshoumaru Junior, one destruction of the circle of life is enough in one family." Kyou said cheekily, thinking fast. He was probably going to be in serious trouble for what he'd said but he'd had to cover up his blunder.

"Your name means the destruction of the circle of life?" Kagome said in amazement as she stared at Sesshoumaru, thinking that the meaning definitely suited its bearer. "But it sounds like such a nice name."

"I didn't chose it." Sesshoumaru said roughly as he glared at Kagome who backed up slightly so that she was slightly behind Inu yasha. "Should we not be going since everyone but the monk is awake?"

"I'll wake him up, Kyou why don't you go get Andrea?" Kagome said brightly. 

"I'll go with you, Kyou. It's not safe for any of us to go anywhere alone, especially since you're unarmed." Sora said as she got the last tangle out, handing the brush back to Sango. "Are there any villages nearby? Andrea, Kyou and I could all use some weaponry."

"There's a village about two hours from here, it's on the way." Miroku said as he joined them, their voices having woken him up. 

"Sounds good to me." Kyou said with a thumbs up and a pleased look on his face. "Now Andrea won't have our lack of weapons against me. She's really good at holding a grudge. I should know, she's still yelling at me for things I did years ago."

"Well then off we go." Miroku said with a smile.

After collecting Andrea who hadn't been pleased to leave the water but had done so none the less the strange group once again set off for the village. "You said that Dare, Mika and Wufei live in my world, Kyou. What do they do?" Kagome asked as she moved to walk beside her son. There was something almost calming about his presence, almost as though he was already her son even though she'd just met him.

"Well I guess there's no harm in telling you that." Kyou decided after taking a moment to think about it. "Dare's an artist, Mika's a cop and Wufei's the priest for the family temple."

"My son's an artist!"

"My son's a priest!"

"Ahhhhhhhhh yeah." Kyou said weakly as he looked at the two brothers who looked as if they'd suddenly been informed that the world was really flat. "Dare works with wood, sculptures and carpentry. Wufei took over taking care of the shrine once grandfather retired, first demon to ever be able to become a priest."

"And Mika's a cop, I can see that if she's as much like Inu yasha as you say she is." Kagome said quickly before anything was said that would result in a fight breaking out. "I would imagine her demon blood more then comes in handy."

"Yeah, especially with her habit of getting herself shot." Kou said with a grin then seeing the stricken look on his mom's face patted her shoulder comfortingly. "But don't worry Mom, no ones ever gotten close to taken her down. Plus Dare or Wufei are always there to supervise when she gets hurt and that doctor of hers is almost as good as Hotaru."

"I don't know which is worse, having a priest or an artist for a son." Inu yasha mumbled under his breath.

"Actually you have both, Uncle Inu yasha." Sora said having been listening to the conversation with a half ear. "Kyou is an artist only with drawing and paints. But don't worry about it, Mika's a warrior in a uniform and Hotaru was a famous surgeon before she moved back to the Feudal Era permanently."

"My daughter's going to be a doctor!" Kagome said with a huge smile. Being a doctor had always been a dream when she was younger but she'd never got the grades one would need for it plus she really didn't enjoy cutting things open and seeing their insides. How great that her daughter had been smart and dedicated enough to have managed to become one. "Sounds to me like I have five great children."

"I thought we only had four?" Inu yasha said with a slightly stricken look. "I have another one?"

"Shippou of course." Kagome said as she rolled her eyes at him then smiled down at the young fox that was walking beside her. Having been listening in on the conversation Shippou looked up at her in adoration then scowled at Inu yasha who did the same.

"Feh." Inu yasha replied as he rolled his eyes. 

"And what are my other children involved with or dare I ask?" Sesshoumaru inquired as he walked beside the demon slayer who had been quiet since Kyou had told them what the name of one of his sons was.

"Well your firstborn is being trained to take your place when you step down, he looks over your lower lands and helps keep the peace. Ronin has had an extreme case of wanderlust lately so he's going all over the place but when he's home he usually helps you and Kohaku with taking care of the lands, keeping other demons off them and so on and so forth. Well I already told you about Dare and then there's Kiyoshi, Yoshi for short, who is more of the scholar of the family. He does a lot of work for the demon clans recording their histories, recording their achievements and also acts as a liaison when there are conflicts in the clans. Actually the last parts ironic because he hates talking but when he does people listen because he only says more then one or two sentences when he has something really important to say. Obviously his name fits him really well." Kyou said with smile. "Oh plus Rin, she takes care of the gardens in the palaces and is advisor to the King and Queen."

"I work for a King and a Queen?" Rin asked, her eyes going wide at the thought.

"Well not officially, it's just that your husband works closely with them so you come into contact with them a lot. Plus you live in the palace." Kyou said with a shrug.

"Oh." Rin said with a smile, thrilled that her life seemed to be such a good one and that she was classified as one of her Master's children. She'd always thought of her master as a father figure but had never said so; it might make her master angry.

"Well the village is close by, I can smell it." Inu yasha said as he motioned ahead of them with a jerk of his head. "I suppose it would be best if only those of us who can pass for humans go, I can sense quite a lot of bodies who will likely not be thrilled to see several demons in their midst."

"Well then why don't the three of us, Rin, Aunt Kagome and Uncle Miroku head in and you guys can relax and take a break." Sora suggested as her highly elevated sense of smell detected the smells of freshly baked bread that made her mouth water slightly. She didn't actually require food to survive but that didn't change the fact that she wanted some of the wonderful smells coming from the village ahead.

"Sounds like a plan, Kyou, guard your mother or your dead meat." Inu yasha said as he showed his teeth at the youngest of his children.

"Actually if she dies under my watch I'm dead in the sense that I'll never be born so don't worry about it." Kyou said with a wink. "But I'll still guard her with my life."

"Rin will stay with me." Sesshoumaru said in a voice that broke no argument; knowing better no one commented on it.

"Well then lets get moving, I'm not getting any younger." Kyou said then cracked up at the irony of his words. "Oh that was a good one." He gasped out once he was able to think about it without breaking out in laughter.

"Moron." Sora and Andrea replied.

Well that's it for know, hope you like it and will review. Stay tuned for the next chap which will feature a trip to the village, Miroku getting pounded on by the ladies of the town and what Kyou's like when he's serious!


	9. To Market They Go

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but my original characters and my plot, everything else belongs to someone else unfortunately.  
  
To Market They Go  
  
They had only been walking for ten minutes before they heard the sounds of people coming up from behind them and turning saw Inu yasha bounding forward with Shippou and Rin in his arms to be followed by Sesshoumaru with a very unhappy Sango on his back. The look on her face was nearly as pissed off looking as Sesshomaru's who was looking none to pleased at all with the situation. Why ever could that be Andrea thought to herself with a large smirk on her face that went as quickly as it had come. Seeing her relatives at this age was proving to be quite entertaining, especially since she knew what was to come which they did not, otherwise both Sango and Sesshoumaru would likely have preferred death at this particular point in time.  
  
"What are you guys doing here?" Kagome asked as Inu yasha came to a stop in front of them, setting the children down on the ground. As soon as Sesshoumaru came to a stop Sango was off his back like it was on fire and stood at the demon's side, glaring at him with eyes that flashed flames. "I thought you guys were going to stay and wait for us."  
  
"We were, unfortunately that wasn't possible." Sesshoumaru said with a dark look aimed at his brother.  
  
"While we were waiting we ran into some villagers on their way to the market. Apparently the village belongs to a fox demon by the name of Yuki who has a reputation of killing demons that aren't pure blooded. Luckily he's afraid of Sesshoumaru so we figured that we better come along and make sure he doesn't cause you any problems." Inu yasha explained. "He apparently avoids the village on marketing day but we figured that since they were use to demons anyway there was no harm in coming along to make sure nothing happens to you."  
  
"I remember old Yuki, he tried to cut Hotaru in half once." Kyou said with a considering look, remembering the fox demon before he'd met his maker in several pieces. "Then you cut him in half, Dad. It was pretty cool."  
  
"He tried to cut my little girl in half." Inu yasha roared with a murderous look in his eye that was so much like his brother's that it was even more chilling. Never mind that he didn't know his daughter, she was his and anyone who thought they could harm a hair on her head was as good as dead. "Well then I guess while we're at the village I'll pay the son of a bitch a little visit and cut him open a few years earlier then scheduled."  
  
"But you can't do that, Uncle Inu yasha." Sora piped up before he blew a fuse. "We need him alive to help out with the weasel demons later on. He doesn't hurt her, she saw the blade coming and hit him a good one with her fist. She's not a violent person but when it comes down to it she can take care of herself."  
  
"Well that's something." Inu yasha muttered, still slow to let go of his need to send the fox demon's head rolling, literally.  
  
"Well shouldn't we be heading to the market before it's over." Shippou mentioned as he tapped his foot, pointing down the road to the village.  
  
"Good point, lets head out then." Andrea said and without waiting for the others began walking back down the road, the others following behind as they all made their way to the village.  
  
Kagome had to grin, it was just too funny not to a few minutes later. Kyou was skipping down the dirt road and he looked so much like Inu yasha it took all her control not to burst out laughing at the sight. He wasn't exactly skipping but there was a bounce to his step and he reminded Kagome of a child on a trip to the candy store, which was close enough. What a son she'd ended up with Kagome thought as she shook her head, unable to picture Inu yasha as the father of such a kid. Looking over at her mate she smiled when she saw that he was looking everywhere but at his son.  
  
"Hard to believe that he's Inu yasha's huh?" Sango said with a smile, the first since they'd begun the walk towards the village. Thoughts of her brother had occupied her mind and even though her thoughts were still on it she'd been unable to ignore Kyou who'd seemed determined to get everyone in as happy a mood as he was and no threatening or pleading from Sora or Andrea had shut him up. The kid was quite the character all right. Looking to her other side Sango looked at Rin who was merrily skipping as well between her and Sesshoumaru. Apparently the girl was smart enough to know that they could use the buffer between them.  
  
"Yeah." Kagome agreed with a smile of her own, glad that Sango was smiling again, even if there were still shadows in the slayer's brown eyes. "I've got to admit that he sure makes me curious about my other children and what they're personalities are like. What do you suppose your children are like, Sango? We could ask one of the kids."  
  
"Who knows, maybe I don't even have any." Sango said with a careless shrug though she'd given the matter some thought. "I'm a demon slayer, the job doesn't exactly allow for a relationship, the closest I've had to a suitor is that prince who wanted to marry me and well we both know that that isn't a regular occurrence. Plus we demon slayers don't tend to have long life spans though it would appear I'm alive in Sora's world at the moment. I won't ask her about my children though, I'll find out in due time."  
  
"How you could still be alive when I am is beyond me." Sesshoumaru muttered with a dark look in her direction before he turned back to ignoring her.  
  
"Any man would be honored beyond words to call you the mother of his children, myself included." Miroku said as he moved to Sango's free side, grabbing her hand in his tightly as he glared at Sesshoumaru. "Only say the word and I would gladly make you with child." Miroku added as he let go of her hand to slide it across her back before yelping with pain as his other hand was suddenly grabbed and before he knew it he was flying through the air and into the ground, sliding along as he came to an eventual stop with a long, long trench behind him.  
  
"That'll teach you to feel her up you lecherous monk, Baka." Sora said as she sent Miroku a dark look as she glared at the monk who she'd just sent flying. Mentally applauding her Sesshoumaru was pleased by her actions, he would have done the same. "I hope I snapped his neck the good for nothing perverted wolf in sheep's clothing."  
  
"Well ouch." Andrea said with a smirk as she crossed her arms over her chest as Kyou went over to see if his cousin had in fact snapped their uncle's neck with his father at his heels, use to picking Miroku up after being beaten by his females. "I bet that one hurt like hell."  
  
"Thanks for the help." Sango said in surprise, not really sure why Sora had so brutally taken Miroku down. Not that she didn't appreciate it of course but the girl's reaction had been a little strong given the mildness of Miroku's actions. Perhaps she just had a thing about guys who constantly gave women they're unwanted attention. "How bad is he broke?" Sango called out as she watched Kyou sling the monk over his shoulders like a sack of grain. "Is he going to live?"  
  
"Well I think we should probably drop him off at the healer in the town before we go to market." Kyou said with a grin as he waited for them to catch up with him before beginning to walk again with Miroku still unconscious. "But I think he'll live, he's always been pretty resilient to painful encounters in the past. Never seen him make a pass for you before though, Aunt Sango. He obviously doesn't mentally mature for a few more years yet."  
  
"But he's always making passes at Sango, it's a daily thing with him to ask her to bare his children. What on earth finally made him see the stupidity of it?" Kagome asked with her mouth hanging open in shock, her eyes as big as saucers. The thought that Miroku would stop playing up to Sango was unimaginable given how often he did it. What on earth had happened to break him of the habit and why did she have a feeling that it had been literally broken out of him.  
  
"Probably would have something to do with her husband's possessiveness and the fact that he threatened to disembowel Uncle Miroku alive if he laid his hands on his wife again in a matter other then friendship. I think he also threatened to open Miroku up one vein at a time too, pretty sure anyway and if someone threatened me with that I'd leave even someone as beautiful as you alone, Aunt Sango. Can you imagine how painful it would be to be alive and have your veins opened while you're still alive and conscious?" Kyou said in a cheerful tone as he smiled at them. "He probably threatened some other stuff but I can't remember off the top of my head."  
  
"Well that would do it." Sango said with eyes that were as wide as Kagome's. Well that answered her question as to whether or not she was getting married in the future. Obviously her future husband was quite dangerous and powerful if Miroku actually thought he'd carry through with his threats. "Exactly what kind of guy did I marry?"  
  
"Interesting." Sesshoumaru said with a small smile, thinking that if it weren't for the fact that the man was likely human and married to the she devil slayer he might actually like the man who'd been so unfortunate as to be mated to her.  
  
"One that you love and loves you in return." Sora said quickly before Kyou could open his mouth and potentially say something harmful. "He's really not that bad."  
  
"If you say so." Kyou said with a mischievous wink as he tried not to laugh at the ridiculous position they'd been put in. Oh to be able to tell them the full truth about the future, their reactions would almost be worth risking not being born so long as he had a camera to capture the moments. Then again the pictures wouldn't do him a lot of good if he was dead so the choice was obvious. "And we're almost at the village, I can smell the bread baking and hear the traders trading already. Ready to haggle, Andrea?"  
  
"Whatever." Andrea said with a sigh, land demons constantly a puzzle to her. Water demons had no need to play such games in order to gain a mate. "Well were almost there, let's hope that we don't have any trouble."  
  
"Do you really think that we can avoid it?" Kyou said with a smirk as he grinned widely. "Think of all the trouble we've gotten into in the past without even looking for it. Especially when we're all together as a group."  
  
"There's a first time for everything and we don't always end up in bad situations, not all the time." Sora said with a small smile.  
  
"Well we have a fair amount of money saved up, at least we can outfit you guys with proper weapons since you'll definitely be needing it." Kagome said as they moved through the crowd after they'd dropped Miroku off at the healer's. "Now we just have to figure out which way to go."  
  
"Well I'm heading over there and slowly breaking each of that man's bones individually while I squeeze the air from his lungs." Andrea said as she motioned her head towards some guys whose thoughts were sending her blood pressure through the roof. They wouldn't be thinking about her body when she was done with them, they'd be too bust thinking about their own body's condition.  
  
"Down girl." Kyou said as he put a hand on her shoulder. "You can't destroy every guy that looks at you wrong, if you did you'd have to kill half the male population, all the teenagers especially. All of them have the female form on the mind, we can't help it. We're guys."  
  
"Men." Andrea said with a dark look as she shot Kyou a killer glare. "Its no wonder you land demons have taken so long to evolve on such a small scale, your males possess only hormones up until they're bodies have matured."  
  
"And even then it's not a guarantee." Sora piped in with a smirk as she shared a knowing looking with Andrea. "And the fact that they're so malleable at that age is one of the few good things about them. Helps even things up considerably."  
  
"Why do you say that?" Rin asked curiously as she looked from Andrea to Sora with interest.  
  
"Because they're so easy to lead around when they're not thinking with their heads." Sango said with a smile that wasn't forced at all. "You'll understand it when you're older and the guys start tripping over themselves to get your attention."  
  
"Then there will be a lot of bodies piling up." Sesshoumaru commented dryly, not about to allow any man to try to win Rin's favor with pretty words to cover his true intentions. He'd take the slayer as his mate first.  
  
After purchasing their weapons, swords for Kyou and Andrea as well as bows and arrows they headed into the market and stocked up on some supplies for the walk and to check out the gossip to see if there was any mention of Ferio attacking or residing anywhere close by with no luck. They'd gotten a lot of stares and fearful looks from onlookers but no one had cause them any problems which they were grateful for. Sesshoumaru figured that it would quickly reach Yuki's ears that there were demons at his market and so was not really surprised when Kyou caught sight of him. Luckily Kagome and Inu yasha had taken the children to buy candy, the last thing he needed was for Yuki to catch sight of him with his half-breed bastard of a brother.  
  
"Hey look, here comes trouble." Kyou said with a sigh as he pointed to the right of them where the crowds were parting to make way for several demons that surrounded their lord, the infamous fox demon Yuki. He was dressed much like Sesshoumaru with black robes and two large swords at his sides, with several strands of golden chain around his neck. His hair was a brownish red that reached his knees, unbound and slightly tinged with silver with a bushy tail to match. He was slightly shorter then Sesshoumaru and his face was as finely shaped with prominent cheekbones and brown eyes that flashed coolly with questions and well hidden curiosity.  
  
"Lord Sesshoumaru-sama, do what do we owe the pleasure of your unexpected visit?" Yuki asked when they'd come to a stop, his men circling the group so that no one entered or moved out of it. He didn't expect any trouble from the Lord of the West but it was better to be safe then sorry. "And who is this creature, her resemblance to you is strong?" Yuki asked as his eyes landed on Sora and held. He preferred his females to be of his own species but this one was tempting. "And why are you chained to that human filth?" He demanded as it suddenly hit him that Sesshoumaru appeared to be chained to a human female. How could this be?  
  
"She's family." Sesshoumaru said simply but with enough coldness in his voice to send a clear signal that she was not available for the asking and that said asking would result in bloodshed. "A sorceress has chained us together and killing her would mean death for me as well. She's still alive for that reason and that reason only."  
  
"One would think you'd suffered enough, Sesshoumaru-sama." Yuki said in sympathy, not even wanting to imagine the torture Sesshoumaru must be going through to be in such a situation. Death was almost preferable. "I wish that I could help you but I wouldn't know where to begin."  
  
"Well if I had my way you'd both be dead on the ground with your life's blood draining from you." Sango said with a dark look in Yuki's direction. How dare he call her filth and look at her as though she were nothing more then slime beneath his feet.  
  
"Yeah, I demand that you apologize to her this instant." Kyou said as he marched forward before someone could stop him. "My aunt is a true and honorable person and I'm not going to let you stand here and insult her."  
  
"He's mine." Sora growled and looked so much like Sesshoumaru that for a moment there was no difference from the neck up except for the scar. "I don't care if we need him or not."  
  
"You would fight for her honor?" Yuki asked as he raised an eyebrow at the very thought of a demon doing such a thing. Why the very thought was enough to make himself ill. "What kind of disease is running through your family that they continue to show tolerance towards humans?"  
  
"You would be wise to be careful with your words." Sesshoumaru said simply though he agreed with Yuki which wasn't the point. It was a matter of family honor.  
  
"I still say I'm going to rearrange his face." Kyou said as he drew his sword from its sheath despite the fact that they were fully surrounded by full-blooded fox demons who were armed to the teeth. The way he figured if it got bad Sora and Andrea would back him up even if his uncle was likely to just stand there and watch him be torn to pieces. Sango would likely try to help but Sesshoumaru wouldn't make that an easy thing to do at all and wouldn't it just be ironic if he died because of his uncle before he was even born. Taking offence to the obviously not full blooded demon one of the guards moved forward intending to teach the mongrel a lesson when suddenly he was flying backward as Kyou simply lifted a hand and sent him flying. "Or I could just do it mentally as oppose to physically." 


	10. Messing With Dog Demons is Hazardous

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and the messed up plot created by my truly demented mind. Sorry bout the spacing, FanFiction Net is screwing with my spacing. -_-;  
  
Messing With Dog Demons is Hazardous  
  
There was complete silence as everyone stared at the obvious half breed demon who had just sent two full blooded fox demons flying through the air without laying a hand on them and somehow preventing those same demons from rising. The young pup simply stood there as though it were nothing, his hands at his side though his eyes never left the soldiers he'd sent flying. The guards that had encircled them only gapped at what they had witnessed, not even thinking to attack now though both Sora and Andrea had blades out in preparation for anyone who thought to try. All was quiet as everyone waited to see what would happen, many of the people looking over to the Fox lord for guidance, expecting him to give them orders but for the moment he was as speechless as everyone else.  
  
"What is the meaning of this, Sesshoumaru-sama?"  Yuki demanded as he glared at Sesshoumaru who didn't appreciating being glared at in such a way causing the Lord of the West to show his fangs in the manner of a dog who'd been challenged. The fox demon was instantly sorry for what he'd done but he'd been so surprised by the obvious power of the not even half demon that he'd spoken without thinking.  Mentally he prayed that those words would not be his last.  
  
"It would appear that two of your soldiers were taken down by a quarter demon." Sesshoumaru said with a slight smirk while he kept a weary eye on Kyou. How had the boy done that or had it been Andrea, a trick to make the others believe that Kyou possessed such abilities. And yet somehow he knew that what had just happened had been his nephew's work; though why he was so sure he had no idea. He would find out before the sunset. "We were on our way out, if you will permit us to continue on our way we shall let this end here without bloodshed on your side." Sesshoumaru said diplomatically though his eyes said that he didn't care whether he was permitted to go or not. He was the great lord of the west, he answered to no one and those who expected him to bow to their wishes were fools and didn't live very long, only long enough to regret their actions in every cell of their being.  
  
"Tomorrow there is a meeting of demon lords on the lands of Treyz, will you be attending despite your current predicament?" The fox demon asked understanding the look the mighty Lord of the West was giving him and wishing to change the subject. Everyone knew of Sesshoumaru's ruthlessness and a demon or man had to be wishing  for death if he chose to displease the lord. But given the lord's current companions one had to question whether or not the dog demon was completely in his right mind. He'd heard that Sesshoumaru-sama was traveling around with a human female but none of the people accompanying the lord were completely human except for the woman Sesshoumaru had been chained to.  
  
"I believe there would be innumerable problems were I to show up chained to a demon slayer, despite the respect and fear they hold for me ."  Sesshoumaru said as he sent Sango a disgusted look who returned the gesture by glaring at him, her dark eyes just as threatening as his own. Idiot wench Sesshoumaru though deliberately showing her his fangs but she simply continued to give him dirty looks. She was so unintelligent she didn't even know when she should be quivering in fear. "I'm afraid you'll have to send my regrets as I won't be able to attend. I was unaware that such a meeting was to take place, what is the purpose of it?"  
  
"Isn't Treyz's mate suppose to possess the ability to project the image of anything, anywhere in this world by creating mirror like voids?" Sango interrupted as she forgot about the fact that she wanted to take out her knife, slice off all Sesshoumaru's hair and then stuff it down his arrogant throat. She'd just remembered something she'd heard about the coyote demon Treyz and if it was true then they might have a way of finding Ferio. "We could ask her to find Ferio for us with her gift and that would save us time as well as energy hunting for him."  
  
Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at the idea, perhaps she wasn't so stupid after all. The plan made sense except for the fact that there would likely be around twenty demon lords at this meeting who would set upon her like ravenous wolves. They would tear her to shreds, inadvertently killing him before he could get a word in to explain why he'd brought her with him. Well technically they wouldn't lay a claw on her before he'd send them to their deaths but he had no wish to kill any of them, especially over something so trivial like the well being of a demon slayer, this one in particular. Normally he'd have sliced her up himself. "Unfortunately there is the matter of what you are, as well as the rest of them." He added referring to his child and Inu yasha's.  
  
"As if anyone would dare lay a hand on me if I were with you, or at least not without your permission first. Since if I die while I'm attached to this thing you die as well I don't think that's going to happen." Sango scoffed as she blew her bangs out of her face as she smirked at him. "No one could possibly be that stupid and Ferio could start causing problems here too so all we have to do is explain the damage he could cause and they should be more then willing to lend us a hand. You want him dead remember?  All those insults, daring to think that he was your equal, he has to be punished, Sesshoumaru-sama."  Sango said, deliberately using the demon's large ego to manipulating him into following along with her plan. "Right."  
  
"She has a point, it would make the hunt easier and give us the advantage." Sora said softly, not exactly sure how to tread. Normally her father wouldn't be treating Sango like this and in this time Sango wasn't accepted in the demon world which meant that most demons were her automatic enemy. "Perhaps Treyz would let you send me as a representative for you, I could request that his mate lend us her aid in finding the bastard." Sora added thinking that that might be a possibly solution. She didn't know Treyz well at all, she had no idea how he would feel about it.  
  
"You wouldn't stand a chance, he has no use for females and likely would turn you away before even hearing what it was you'd come for." Yuki said with a leer in her direction that made her skin crawl slightly. He was really asking to be bitch slapped and Sora was thinking she was just the female dog demon to give it to him.  
  
"You will watch how you look at Sora or you will be looking at her from the fiery infernos of Hell." Sesshoumaru growled as he too caught the look. Until he learned otherwise Sora was his daughter and the fact that Yuki couldn't know that was the only thing that was keeping him alive at that moment. "She is under my protection and I will kill anyone who dares treat her with anything less then the same fear and respect shown to me, understand, Yuki?"  
  
"Of course Sesshoumaru-sama, no offense meant." Yuki said with a short bow in Sesshoumaru's direction. Could this strange creature be Sesshoumaru's intended mate? He had never seen her before but Sesshoumaru was known for his habit of traveling and perhaps he'd found her somewhere. Or perhaps she was a distant cousin who simply took after him and was staying with him. He had seen few female dog demons, it was possibly that they commonly had this sort of resemblance to each other while in this form as oppose to their true ones. There was still something off about the female though and it wasn't just her defense of the human filth. Something about her didn't seem to add up, he had no idea what it was about her that seemed off though her apparent affection for the human was strange enough to make him question himself about her. "And in answer to your earlier question the meeting is about some unexplained incidents that have occurred in this area recently. A group of hunting wolf demons were found slaughtered nearby and several human villages burned to the ground with no survivors. Treyz called the meeting to gather information and plan action against whoever is daring to commit these crimes." Yuki said with a look of disgust. "The wolf demons were part of Manta's pack, he's trying to rise all the wolf packs in the area against whoever did it but there wasn't even blood spilled there that wasn't from the victims though a strange black substance was found. Even the scents are confusing and not familiar to us or to the others who have scrounged the area for evidence."  
  
"Did the remains indicate what killed them?" Sesshoumaru said as he raised an eyebrow questioningly. Most would be a fool to take on a party of wolf demons and he knew only of Kagura who would do such a thing, not to mention that she was quite skilled in the causing of wolf demon suffering. But this did not speak to him of her hand and her scent was well known in these parts. None the less there was that possibility and it must be ruled out. "The wind demon?"  
  
"No, it was as if they were torn to shreds, others looked as though they'd been strangled to death and then broken to pieces. They were not likely caused by that she devil Kagura unless she has decided to trade in her normal weapons for others." Yuki said with a shake of his head. "Not to mention that she has not been seen in the area, though given her ability to fly that's not necessarily proof that she's not lurking nearby."  
  
"You think we might see her?" Kyou whispered under his breath to Andrea. Neither Andrea, Sora or himself had ever had the chance to see the wind demon and they wished that they might so that they could be able to tell Nomi about her. Maybe he could even get close enough to be able to sketch her to give it to Nomi, Kyou thought and hoped. Even though Kagura was dangerous he'd risk it to make Nomi happy.  
  
"Possibly." Sora said under her breath then narrowed her eyes as an idea entered into her head. "I would guess from your comments as to not having any idea as to who did these deeds that no dead were left behind that weren't the originally intended victims. I know that Manta's hunters would not be killed easily, they should have killed at least some of their attackers before falling or at least causing extreme injury, enough to draw their enemies blood. For all these deeds to have been committed by the same hands one would have to question the fact that there is nothing that these hands leave behind." Looking over at her father Sora meet his eyes. "Perhaps they did deal it killing blows, they simply could not kill it."  
  
"Ferio." Sesshoumaru said as he caught on to what his daughter was suggesting right away.  Now there was a theory that made sense. "Would he go hunting again so quickly, I thought you said he would take the time to heal and pout?"  
  
"Normally he would but he's angry." Andrea said with a shake of her head as she considered the facts. "He didn't succeeding in destroying this family in the future and now he has failed once again in the past. It's quite possible that he took his anger out on those weaker then himself to boost his pride and help assure himself that he is the great demon only he thinks himself to be."  
  
"He'll likely stay in this area as well since so far he's gotten away with everything." Kyou piped up with a considering look on his face. "Plus he has no idea that we're in this particular area, hence he doesn't know to flee though he will once word gets out that we're close. He'll need to boost himself up more before he can convince himself of his greatness and invincibility which means more attacks ahead." Tapping his clawed left hand against his side Kyou thought it through carefully. "We must find him immediately, our presence here is likely already reaching other villages as we stand here speaking."  
  
"You think that one demon did this?" Yuki said in shock as he looked at them in disbelief. Someone of Sesshoumaru or his own greatness could have done these deeds but to do so without sustaining any injury was impossible to believe. "And if the wolves delivered death blows then why was this demon not killed? No demon is that powerful."  
  
"Because it is not a demon, it is a foul creature that has only one weakness, it can only be killed by being stabbed through the heart which it guards well. They could have torn him to shreds and he would have simply healed himself." Sesshoumaru said with a look of disgust on his face. "Never have I met such a thing that I would hold in lower esteem then humans but this abomination is such a thing. It must be destroyed and soon."  
  
"Then you must come to the meeting, Sesshoumaru-sama." Yuki said as he looked at the demon. Sesshoumaru's hatred of this creature was visible as well as great and Yuki had not known that the Lord could hate anything as much as the demon hated that half breed brother of his and humans in general. Apparently there was something worse. "The others can help you track down and kill this abomination, I'm sure that they'll allow you to bring your-companions with you if you can give them information that will lead them to this Ferio."  
  
"Inu yasha and his bitch accompany us as well." Sesshoumaru said with a questioning look in Yuki's direction. His half breed brother was not a favorite in the demon world, Kagome as well. Add in a demon slayer and he doubted very much that the demons would consider his information valuable enough to tolerate their presence.  
  
"Your-Inu yasha?" Yuki said in surprise, catching himself before he referred to the half demon as Sesshoumaru's brother. He had no wish to die today. "I believe that they will be allowed entrance. Kouga will be there I believe, he should be able to sway the others with Manta who will likely for once tolerate the presence of humans and half demons for a chance to get a hold of this murderer."  
  
"We shall see." Sesshoumaru agreed, with a slight nod of his head. Looking at his companions Sesshoumaru inwardly winced but there was nothing he could do. He would have to take them because they knew more about the creature then he did and the children would go no where without his brother and the rest of the company for fear that they would be killed when they were at Treyz's domain. "We'll gather the rest of our party and head for the meeting."  
  
a while later in the darkness of the night  
  
They were not welcomed warmly but they were allowed to enter and stood at one end of the room while the demons that had already arrived took the other, staring at the strange group with shock, disgust and fear of Sesshoumaru's wrath as well as the demon slayer chained to him.  Not to mention the one called Inu yasha and his bitch, the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo. True they were not demons but many a great demon had fallen dead at their feet and the demons knew it. Rin and Shippou were behind the adults and the teenagers with Jakken who was not pleased to be stuck baby-sitting as oppose to standing beside his master's side. Kyou and Andrea stood on either side of the toad demon  with the adults and Sora in the front, covering the children from all angles from possible attack. Once there was enough demons there to make it worth the effort Sesshoumaru explained that they believed that they knew of the creature believed to be responsible for the killings and destruction of recent and then with great dread introduced Sora as his daughter, explaining that she along with her kin had come from the future to kill the beast. He then turned it over to Sora who briefly described Ferio, his habits, weakness and character. The responses varied with each demon though all were shocked at the idea that this was the creature responsible for what had happened as well as the fact that the mighty Lord, hater of all things human besides that human girl of his had not only been chained to one but had a daughter who stood beside him looking like his mirrored image who wasn't completely full demon.  
  
"And he is your son, Kagome?" Kouga asked as he nodded in the direction of Kyou. He would have stood with them but he needed the others to think that he was on their side so that he could sway their opinions better. "And this demon seeks to kill all of you specifically?"  
  
"He wants to kill everyone that's stronger then him which means that he wants everyone in this room dead, either now or later." Sora said calmly as she deliberately stroked the egos of the demons in the room. They might in fact need their help and they had enough problems to deal with without adding to it. "And Kyou is indeed my first cousin."  
  
"I would see the creature first." Treyz said with a considering look before lifting a clawed hand to motion his wife forward. She was a small coyote demon with pale gold hair that reached the floor, dressed in a simple pale blue kimono. Her almond shaped eyes were brown and wise as she stepped to her mate's side without a sound. "Show me this creature, Tomoyo."  
  
"Of course." Tomoyo said as she bowed her head respectively. Walking over to the wall on everyones right she stopped about two meters away and raised her hands as though she were going to fall forward and was bracing for the impact. Closing her eyes she began to chant in a language no one but she understood as slowly what looked like a mirror appeared between her hands, growing and growing until it was as big as the wall. It was then that she stepped back from it. "Come here daughter of Sesshoumaru-sama." She said softly as she motioned with one delicate looking hand for Sora to come to her. Nodding Sora left her father's side and walked over to the woman without any fear or nerves. She'd seen many things such as this as a result of having water demons for relatives and friends. It would take much more then this to rattle her outwardly calm composure. "I will use your memories to get a hold of his mind so that I might track him." Tomoyo explained as she went on tiptoes to place her hands on either side of Sora's head, gently she smiled at her reassuringly. "It won't hurt you at all."  
  
"Do what you must." Sora said with a slight nod of her head as she stared down at the shorter demon. She hoped this wouldn't take long. Even with the other woman on her toes Sora was still too tall and she was practically bowing to the other woman so that she could place her hands on Sora's temples. "I'm ready." 


	11. Sesshoumarusama's Family

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but this plot and my original characters. Also there is a matter of certain blood Sango and Kagome possess, that will be explained so please don't freak out or demand explanation. It will all be explained, I promise.

Sesshoumaru-sama's Family

The strange mirror like creation burst into a wide variety of colors and shapes, than scenery could be seen as trees and villages whizzed by with alarming speed before slowing down as they seemed to enter a cave. It was then that Ferio in all his ugliness came into view. He'd chosen to hole up in a cave with an underground water source and everyone looked at the dwelling he'd made for himself while he paced around in the small area, cursing under his breath. Things were not going as he'd planned at all.

"You expect us to believe that that thing defeated my warriors?" Manta demanded to know, looking like he was about to explode as he glared at them all. He had never gotten along well with Sesshoumaru and had no respect for the dog demon. To take on that human child was truly disgusting and a blemish on the greatness of the title of demon. The fact that Sesshoumaru was so dangerous and more deadly then himself was the only reason Manta had never tried to rid the world of the pathetic demon though he'd never admit his fear of the demon lord. This was more then a sore spot for him and secretly he wouldn't have been overly upset if this Ferio creature did rid the world of the Lord of the West if not for the fact that to be able to destroy Sesshoumaru this Ferio would have to be more powerful and dangerous then the lord. The very thought was mind numbingly scary.

"And people say that I'm stupid." Kyou muttered under his breath to Andrea who had to agree with that assessment on both ends. "I've seen goldfish with more intelligence and those things can't hold a thought for more then five seconds. You'd think that he might have started out with some intelligence but obviously his past is a lot like his present. Dumb as a doornail...on second thought, that insults door nails."

"Quiet." Sesshoumaru said just loud enough for his nephew to hear and knowing better then to disagree Kyou shut up. The other demons were arguing about the possibility that this monstrosity was what Sesshoumaru said he was and speculation about where he was at the moment.

* * *

"Stupid little bitch, always ruining my plans! That whole family, this is all their fault, curse their hides." Ferio suddenly yelled out causing the demons in the hall of Treize to fall silent as they listened to the thing's rant. "Why won't he die? He was weak enough to join his blood with a human, he should be easy to kill! All those bloody children of his, it's their fault that I haven't won yet." Ferio yelled to the walls of the cavern, unaware that far away he was being watched and observed. "And that half breed brother of his, sticking his nose in where it doesn't concern him. But that doesn't matter, that doesn't matter because they're defeated." Ferio muttered and a truly hideous smile came across his features. "My minions would have attacked them in the future like I'd planned before I came to this Hell hole. Yes, the ground will be littered with their carcasses right this minute. I bet the hall is bathed with the blood of their women and children." Ferio crowed in delight as he nodded his head rapidly. "I'll look into the future, see their destruction, find that Sora bitch and make her see, show her how her brothers and her stupid bitch mother died. And the great Sesshoumaru, ha, he's likely dead or weeping over his children and bitch, should've joined forced with me, nobody turns me down, no one!" Ferio ranted with a growl before turning his attention back to the matter at hand. Leaning over he picked up a rock and lifted it to his right hand sliced the sharp rock across the palm of that hand then pressed the bleeding hand to the walls, sliding the bleeding hand in a straight line, the blood dripping down and as he stepped back and said several phrases in a language no one in the room recognized. The blood grew thicker and thicker until the cave's wall looked bathed in it. At more commands the bloody walls shimmered strangely and made the sight that much more disgusting and stomach turning.

* * *

"With this blood of mine I give my command, show me the latest battle against the demon lord Sesshoumaru and his family." Ferio demanded in glee as his hand continued to bleed all over the place unnoticed. Instantly the wall came ablaze with light and then a village under attack appeared. People screaming for their lives as they ran screaming while others remained to fight off the beasts under Ferio's command.

"NO!" Sora yelled as she yanked away from Tomoyo who none the less kept the visions on the screen as they all watched what Ferio was watching. She knew that village as well, as she knew her own home. Had walked those streets and talked to these people who were being hunted down like they were no more then animals. His blood would cover the earth when she was done for this alone Sora vowed to herself. "The village!"

"Those f#kin bastards." Kyou roared as he moved away to stand beside his cousin as he stared up at the screen. "They're humans for God sakes, they don't stand a bloody chance. They're not in the way." Kyou yelled as he vibrated with anger as he watched the needless death and destruction of those who had done nothing to deserve what they were being dealt. Where was his family, why weren't they there to stop this?

"But it will get the family away from our holdings." Sora said quietly as they watched the carnage in horror, watched the people go running towards a large hill with Ferio's men at their heels, blood being shed everywhere as the men attempted to give their women and children time to get away.

"Yes run you filthy humans, run to your Lord." Ferio crowed in delight, the sounds of battle and death exciting him. "And there they are now." Ferio said practically jumping up and down for joy as he caught sight of the figures on the hill. It was them, now they saw how powerful he was, now they'd realize their mistake in thinking that they were better then he was. Now they would die and he'd never have to deal with them again.

"Thank the Gods it's Lord Sesshoumaru!" One of the women yelled at and everyone from the past time period felt their jaws drop as the humans cried out thanks and ran towards the lord known everywhere for his hatred of all humans and yet these people were running towards him like he was their savior from the hell that chased them.

* * *

"By the Gods." Sesshoumaru muttered under his breath as he stared in shock at the people who were running to the hill looking and sounding much like they were seeking his protection . They were running to him, they expected him to protect them? What madness was this?

"Focus on him, The great Lord Sesshoumaru." Ferio demanded as if hearing Sesshoumaru's thoughts and suddenly the screen was filled with the images of himself in the future along with what had to be his sons as well as others. Sesshoumaru stared and stared some more. It was him all right and he stood straight and tall with barely leashed anger as he looked down at the scene that was playing out before them.

In the future

On top of the hill Sesshoumaru watched the scene play out with barely leashed anger as he saw what Ferio had dared to do. A demon still in his prime his silver hair blew faintly in the breeze as he turned his head slightly to look at the mirror image of himself though younger and with slightly darker golden eyes. His eldest son Kohaku stared down at the carnage with eyes that lit with flames though he restrained himself from blind action, as he had learned well. Turning his head in the other direction Sesshoumaru looked at his youngest son, Dare. So much like his mother Dare's hair was the same silver as his own though there were hints of blue streaks here and there, the eyes were his mother's, a dark brown usually filled with humor and good will though not so today. These were his sons, he could not be prouder of either of them. "Kohaku, Dare, are you ready?"

"Yes, Father." Kohaku said coolly with his hand tight on the large blade strapped to his thigh. None of them wore any armor and were facing this in their robes (similar to what Sesshoumaru always wears) and their swords, nothing more. Some would have said this was suicide, Sesshoumaru's children would have said that it was child's play. They were very much like their parents, hunters to the bone.

* * *

"Let's show those bastards a thing or two." Dare growled as he nodded at his father and brother as he watched his intended prey with the piercing glare of a well learned predator. Those bastards were in the way of getting to his sister and the others, he would eliminate every one of them and show that bastard Ferio what happened to those who would harm any member of his family.

"Sango?" Sesshoumaru demanded and from Kohaku's side she appeared on her cat, in her demon slayer uniform with her weapon as always strapped to her back. She had aged little as well thanks to her water demon blood and her dark hair showed no gray though there were strands of dark blue to show off the water demon blood flowing through her veins.

"Hurt my babies will they, when I get done there will be nothing left but mush." Sango snarled and Sesshoumaru had to smile slightly at her expression. She was quite a sight when she was like this. There was nothing more dangerous then a mother protecting her pups. Sesshoumaru had learned that long ago and he had no doubt that she would litter the grounds below them with Ferio's dead in no time at all. "Let's show them an example of our idea of hospitality around here."

"Of course." Sesshoumaru agreed with a nod before looking past his other son to where another cat demon, the cub of Sango's stood with his sister in law Kagome and his niece Hotaru on its back at the ready. The villagers would be their responsibility once the fighting broke out. "And you two?"

* * *

"Let's go." Kagome said with a nod of her head which her daughter echoed. She wore black slacks and a gray top with her dark black in a bun at the back of her head with her slight blue highlights showing to demonstrate the water demon blood in her veins as well. Sitting behind her was her mirror image though Hotaru's eyes were slightly lighter then her mother's and she was dressed in blue jeans and a pink T-shirt, wearing a quiver of arrows like her mother and a bow at the ready in her hand.

"Then we go." Sesshoumaru said with a nod of his silver head, knowing that he had nothing to worry about. There were no warriors that could match his children in battle save possibly his niece Mika. They would win this battle easily and then return to more important matters. Getting his daughter, Andrea and his nephew back. "Kohaku, Dare. This is for your sister and you're cousins. I expect nothing less then perfection."

"Of course, Father. They will beg for death by the time we're finished with them." Kohaku said with a cool nod and was joined by his brother who added his opinion that they would bath the ground with the blood and bodies of their enemies. They were not happy big brothers and they were very eager to avenge their missing family members.

Sure of success Sesshoumaru walked quickly towards the hill's crest with his sons at his heels. Hurling themselves off the crest they fell downward with the wind whipping their hair out behind them like banners. Quickly their eyes went red and they were engulfed by a pinkish fog as they changed into their true forms.

* * *

Past

"By the Gods." Sesshoumaru said in pride and amazement as he and his sons landed on the ground, his son Kohaku his mirror image while his son Dare was as black as night as they hurled forward, intent on their prey. His sons were magnificent, he thought as he watched them move with amazing speed at the enemy without a hint of fear or worry. These were warriors, sons to be proud of without question.

Sango watched herself hurl off the cliff after them, her eyes on fire as her older self landed and raced after Sesshoumaru and his sons. How could it be that she didn't look all that much older then she was now, it was as if she hadn't aged and yet Sora was eighteen which meant that she should look like a woman in her thirties at the very least but she looked like she could pass for someone Sora's age. How could that be possible?

"She looks just like you." Inu yasha said softly as they watched the other cat demon follow the others, staring at his mate and the daughter he didn't know. She looked so much like Kagome that except for the slight difference in eye color he'd never have been able to tell them apart simply by looking at them. "You haven't aged." Inu yasha added in confusion as he stared at his future wife. She looked much as she did now except for slight blue highlights which his daughter had as well. So did Sango, Inu yasha realized with a start. "Neither has Sango."

"But why haven't we?" Kagome asked to no one in particular as everyone's eyes were currently glued to the action that was taking place. Her eyes going wide she watched as Sesshoumaru, his sons and Sango literally jumped over the village people and hurled headlong into the fray. Before her eyes she watched a massacre as Sesshoumaru and his sons tore Ferio's men to pieces without mercy as they desecrated them, going from one minion to the next as though they were chew toys to be clamped between powerful jaws and claws then torn apart. Ouch.

* * *

Future

"Allow me to clear the path a little better." Sango said as she released her weapon from behind her and standing up hurled the weapon through the stream of Ferio's foot soldiers who were sliced to bits by her blade before it came zooming back to her to be caught easily. "This ends here." She growled as she hopped off her cat's back and landed into the fry, slashing out with her weapon and generally killing everything that got in her way. These things had threatened her family, they had to die and not well.

"Follow us!" Kagome called out to the villagers, having hung back to herd the villagers away from the fray. Leading them away from the fighting they hollered at the people where to go then got in between the villagers and the battle, shooting off arrows at the those minions who were thinking to follow their intended prey, becoming prey without warning as they fell victim to the arrows.

"Sorry." Hotaru called out to every monster her arrow killed though she continued to fire rapidly and with deadly accuracy. She never missed. As a doctor and surgeon it was against her vows to kill and so she apologized every time she killed one of them and hoped that it had been a quick death. "So sorry about this. Please die quickly so you don't suffer, okay?"

* * *

"Hotaru." Her father said with a shake of his head as he suddenly appeared by their side after literally coming through a demon who'd been trying to prevent him from getting to his family. He'd been out scouting the area when word had reached him about the village being under attack and he'd gotten there as quickly as he could. "Where are Mika, Wufei and Ronin?" Inu yasha added as he stood at the ready for any moron that was actually able to escape the arrows flying through the air. He'd had to borrow a blade and it didn't feel as right as his own. It would do the job though.

"They're coming at the monsters from behind." Kagome said with a cool smile at her husband after decapitating a demon that was getting a little too close for comfort. "I expect to hear the screams of our daughter's victims shortly. Mika was very eager to dish out some of her personal brand of payback."


	12. Power of Family

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my plot and my original characters ^-^.  Any attempts to copy this idea or use any of my characters without my permission will result in me unleashing Mika upon you...not a good thing if ya know what I mean.

Readers Note: Wufei's weapon, a kwan dao-an, which is an ancient Chinese halberd is taken from the anime Shaman King and was an actually weapon in ancient China.  I highly recommend Shaman King in MANGA form and the anime is okay.  The weapon mentioned is used by the character Ren who's one interesting and cool looking individual.   
  


Power of Family

"No, no, no!  Not Mika, she belongs in the other place, she has no business ruining things!" Ferio screeched as he watched his minions fall one after another, many of them running back the way they'd come in a futile attempt to escape the demons' claws.  "Come back here you cowards, fight them I order you.  They're only pathetic half breeds, destroy them!" Ferio yelled out though of course they couldn't hear him, not that they would have listened anyway.  "Why won't they just die!"

In the Hall

"Well those half breeds are kicking your ass, Ferio." Kyou called out with a huge grin before sticking his tongue out at the screen with Ferio's image cursing and yelling at his men.  "And they're heading right for Mika and the others.  Dead minions walking."

"Now they'll know what the villagers felt when they attacked." Sora said with such a cold and heartless look that there was no doubt whose daughter she was.  "Mika will show them no mercy, they deserve none."

"Is my daughter really that powerful?" Inu yasha asked, absolutely thrilled with the idea that he had a daughter that was this revered and dangerous.  Even Sora seemed to think that his daughter was her superior in fighting, that alone said something as Mika would be a half demon where Sora was a half demon apparently.

"Watch and see." Sora said as she motioned to the images playing out.  This would be interesting to watch to say the least.  "He just ordered to see what was going on with her."

In the Future

The demons and other creations were running for their lives as they fled from the wrath of Lord Sesshoumaru and his family.  They weren't demons, not even demons could cause so much destruction and destroy their numbers so easily.  Coming to the end of the village they headed for the woods though they all came to a stop when a single figure appeared walking towards them.  Charging the person the one called Media stopped in his tracks as he hollered in fear and pain.  "It's her....it's her!" The huge demon cried out as he backed away from the girl as though she were a leper.

"It's too late for that, moron." Mika said in an amused tone that belayed the coldness in her golden eyes.  At five foot nine she was fairly tall, her hair which was normally waist length in a high ponytail as she walked towards them confidently.  She was wearing loose black pants and a tight black tank top, the amount of skin shocking for the time but normal for her mother's time.  A huge sword was in its sheath on her back, her hands for now at her sides.  "You sealed your fate when my brother and family members were taken.  I WILL SHOW YOU NO MERCY!" Mika cried as she reached behind her and pulled out her sword, as powerful as her father's and just as deadly.  More so since the weapon was in her hands. "Lets see what you're made of shall we?"

"Don't forget to leave us some." A voice said and from the shadows came two figures, one on either side of Mika.  On her left was Ronin, his father's image as well only his hair was only slightly past his shoulders, tied back with a piece of hide into a loose ponytail.  It was he who had spoken as he drew his own blade from his side.  On her left was a figure dressed in priest garbs in dark purple, his resemblance to Kagome's brother Sota was startling.  His eyes had a more golden tone to them though and when he smiled at the minions who were their prey his canine teeth were very visible.  He carried with him a staff with a wicked looking hook like blade at the top, as dangerous as any sword.  It was a kwan dao-an, an ancient Chinese halberd.  Very deadly.   
"Oh God, we're doomed." One of the spider like demons called out, these demons each legendary in their own right.  This was the end, there was no chance of survival now.

"I won't die just standing here!" One of the other demons called out and drawing his sword he charged at the three, most of the other demons and creatures following his lead, foolishly trying to hope that they could actually over power the trio who watched them come without any concern.  It was a rash move and a foolish one.

 "Let's do this." Mika said with a smirk as she and her family met the creatures head on, the slaughter beginning in the screams of pain and agony that followed as she tore through their enemies.

In the Hall

"My God." Inu yasha said as he watched his son and daughter in awe as they decimated everything that came in their way.  The weapon his son welded was amazing, cutting through everything it hit as easily as through a cloud.  A blue light appeared every time he swung it and that blue light was as fatal as the blade itself.  His daughter truly shone though as she jumped into the fray like a child into a present.  Her blade never stopped moving as she sliced and destroyed everything her blade touched, moving like a deadly snake, lying in wait then jumping into it with its deadly bite.  Sesshoumaru's son was as great a fighter though not even he was as quick and as skilled as his younger cousin.

"What a force his family will be in the future." Kouga said in awe as he watched the fight play out before him.  "Sesshoumaru-sama is strong and terrifying enough as it is but his children and kin, amazing."

"Very." Manta said, not at all pleased at the thought.  Sesshoumaru was dangerous enough as it was, with these kind of warriors at his orders Sesshoumaru would be nearly invincible.  Weren't things bad enough as they were? 

"Mika look out!" Kagome cried out to her daughter as she saw a particularly large demon about to pounce on her daughter who was busy trying to take on three large demons on her own to begin with.  "Don't you dare hurt my little girl!"

In the Future

"Four against one huh?" Mika said as she prepared to jump out of the way of the demon about to spring on her from above when she didn't need to anymore as a wolf demon she unfortunately knew in his true form came out of nowhere who leapt at the demon, grasped the demon's head in between its teeth and then bit down, snapping the neck like a tooth pick.  Hurling the dead carcass like a sling The wolf demon let it fly into another of the bad guys.  "Hey who asked for your help you moronic idiot!" Mika hollered at him but she had her hands full and couldn't give him Hell quite yet, or at least the way he deserved to get it.

"Well looks like your boyfriend decided to join the fun, squirt." Wufei called out to his sister as he watched Ren decimate a demon as he used it for a chew toy.  However often he teased his sister about the wolf demon it just never got old.  "Came to your rescue and everything, real Prince Charming."

"I would rather be slowly eaten alive by rats and worms then even go out with that moron once!  I'd rather fall on my own blade or let a flea demon kill me off." Mika hollered furiously at her annoying big brother.  "Just for that I otta attach fish hooks to your cheeks, tie the other ends to a tower then throw you off the tower just for suggesting it.  I would rather tongue a snake or a weasel demon."

"Well that's not a nice thing to say and that last part is just too wrong to think about." Ronin called out with a laugh as he sliced two demons in half at the same time with one swing of his sword.  "He may be a wolf demon but he's not that bad.  At least he's several steps up from that father of his."

"In your opinion.  What he is.. is a brain dead, poor excuse for a demon and a freak of nature.  Not that he wasn't doomed to be one since he's a wolf demon but he's pretty damn close to being as big a bastard as his old man and I'd rather be crucified." Mika snarled as she sliced a creature of some sort from his left shoulder to his right hip, slicing him neatly in half.  

"Ouch." Wufei said before slicing into the last demon that had stayed to fight, the others running away in fear, both literally and figuratively with their tails between their legs.  "Shall we go after them?"

"Let's leave them, there walking into traps anyway." Ronin said with a shrug as he bent down to wipe his blood sword on the grass to wipe some of the blood off of it before putting it back in its sheath.  "So what are you doing here, Ren?"

In the Hall

"I wonder who that wolf demon is?" Kouga said curiously as he looked over at the demon that was busy dealing with two last demons and was currently ripping both of them to shreds.  The demon was impressive and obviously Mika wasn't terribly fond of him.

"Obviously a very skilled one though very mislead if he would lend his aid to a quarter demon." Manta said as he shook his head at the thought.

"Well whoever he is she should thank him for helping them out." Kagome said with her hands on her hips, would have most likely have lectured her daughter had said daughter been able to hear her at all.

"That's about as likely to happen as pigs are to fly on their own, Mom." Kyou said with a laugh as he smiled at his mother.  "Those two have been fighting since the day they met as kids and I doubt that they're going to stop it any time soon.  They might have gotten along better if it weren't for the fact that Ren's father taught him to despise everything not full demon and the fact that she kicked his ass the first time they fought.  Hell on poor Ren's ego."

"Well Father could have refrained from causing said fight but his father was asking for it." Sora said with a smirk as she watched Ren finish off his opponents.  "And as you'll recall Kyou Ren lost that fight in part because he judged her by her sex and heritage, had he not she wouldn't have flattened him quite so easily."

In the Future

The wolf demon walking towards them showed its teeth in what could be a grin, bluish gray fog encircling it then disappearing to reveal a young man dressed in wolf demon type clothing similar to what Kouga usually wore.  His hair was pitch black with streaks of dark brown mixed in, the hair being caught back in a short ponytail about the size of Miroku's.  His eyes were golden brown and they were fixed on Mika as he swaggered over.  "Saving her ass apparently." Ren said as he looked at Mika in amusement, the girl looking like she wanted to tears out his organs and eat them.

"Ha, as if you could.  Had those been anyone else's minions besides Ferio's they would have slaughtered you without even breaking into a sweat." Mika sneered back as the two glared at each other.  Rolling their eyes at this familiar sight Wufei and Ronin backed off slight so that they could watch while being out of the line of fire somewhat.  God but it was fun to watch the two snipe at each other.

"Oh is that so?" Ren snarled as he showed her his fangs.  Nothing pissed him off quicker or worse then Mika and he couldn't recall them ever once in their entire acquaintance having anything resembling a peaceful conversation.  Not that he was complaining, bugging her was one of his chief pleasures in life.  "Seems to me that demon would have flattened you like a pancake if I hadn't come in when I did."

"As if, I would have had him dead and in pieces easily if you hadn't interfered." Mika shot back even though that wasn't necessarily true.  "And I don't recall asking for your help so what the Hell are you doing here anyway?  Your father send you here to do some dirty work for him?  Or are you a present from him to apologize for being a pain in the ass since the day he was born.  Because if that's the case we accept the apology but he can sure as hell have you back."

"I came here to talk to your uncle about something, not that it's any of your business, half breed." Ren snarled, regretting calling her that but now unable to take it back.  He sounded like his father when he did that.

"Better to be a half breed then a filthy, ugly and stupid full blooded wolf demon." Mika said, lashing out against the slur and the implications of it.  Technically she was a mixed breed but she wouldn't stand for him making it sound like something dirty or wrong.  "At least I have a father worth being proud of, no one in their right mind would be proud of yours."

"You watch what you say about my father or I'll cut out your tongue and feed it to your father before I kill him." Ren snarled back, not about to let her of all people slander his father's name.  Perhaps he and his father didn't get along overly well but he would not allow Mika of all people to speak ill of him.

"They fight like an old married couple only they're fighting about the father in law instead of the mother in law." Wufei said as he elbowed his cousin then frowned a moment later when his cousin made no reply while the other two continued to bitch at each other.  Looking over at Ronin Wufei frowned as his cousin didn't look so good and his eyes were rather glassy.  "Hey, Ronin, you okay, man?"

"Something is wrong." Ronin said as he stared at Wufei, his vision blurring around the edges.  "My right side, it's going numb and yet burns at the same time, I can't describe it.  My vision is blurring as well." 

"Hey you two shut up will ya." Wufei snarled at Mika and Ren and since it was so out of character of him to try to shut them up when they were in a heated argument the two shut up and blinking looked over at him with questioning looks.  "Something's wrong with Ronin."

"Ronin?" Mika said with a concern just as  her cousin suddenly buckled under his own weight and would have fallen to the ground if Wufei hadn't grabbed him in time and was now doing his best to handle his older and larger cousin's weight.  Hurrying forward Mika wrapped her arms around the other side of him but drew away when he yelped in pain.  "What's wrong, is it your side?" Mika asked as she Ren came from behind to support Ronin that way, forgetting temporarily that their fathers hated each other big time.  All he saw was Mika's cousin in trouble.  Since he was supported now Mika bent down and seeing some sort of black stain on Ronin's clothing carefully touched that spot causing Ronin to snarl slightly at the simple butterfly touch.  "I take it that hurt?' Mika said trying for a touch of humor.

"You have no bloody idea how much." Ronin growled, his face as white as his hair now.  "It's like, it's like I'm being eaten from the inside out.  I don't understand it, I wasn't even sliced by a blade or claw, and the only thing that hit me there were those shards and the one only skimmed my side."

"Perhaps there was something on the shards, I remember that, yelling at you to watch out." Wufei said as he recalled that moment.  "Several of the shards got lodged into those trees over there." Wufei added as he motioned to a cluster of trees with a turn of his head.  

"Be right back then." Mika said as she took off running towards the trees.  Several yellow icicle looking things were stuck in the tree and looking at the tree Mika realized what looked wrong about it.  The trees were losing their leaves but it was just the end of spring, fall was a long way ahead.  Looking at the shards suspiciously Mika leaned down and with the knife she drew from her boot sliced off a part of her pants so that one side looked like a pair of shorts.  Wrapping the material around her hand she pulled one of the shards from one of the dying trees and  held it up to her sensitive nose, smelling it for any sings of its origins.  Wrinkling her nose Mika decided that it most definitely wasn't a good smell but it wasn't one she recognized.  Hurry back she practically shoved it under Ren's nose.  "Do you recognize it?"

Sending her an annoyed look for just shoving it under his nose like that Ren inhaled the scent and choking on it recognized it and slapped the shard out of her hand.  "That's Komono blood, if he was hit by one of them and got their blood into his system...he really is being eaten alive."


	13. For Family, For Love

Disclaimer:  I own nothing but the plot and the original characters; everything else belongs to some other lucky bastards.  Anyway enjoy and please let me know what you think.  Thanks and have a great day.

For Family, For Love

"Komono-komono blood?" Mika said weakly as she looked from Ren's serious face to her cousin and back again.  She knew of the blood only through what she'd heard but that was more then enough to give her an idea of the gruesome fate that awaiting Ronin.  Some demon slayers used the deadly poison on their weapons against the tougher demons but most didn't because any accidental exposure of the blood to themselves and they were dead.  There was no known cure for the poison and it was always fatal.  "Oh shit."

"No-no damn it, not like this, he's not dying like that." Wufei snarled as he refused to believe that he was about to lose his cousin so easily and that there was nothing he could do about it.  "Mika, take him, if I find Uncle Sesshoumaru fast enough there's a chance, there has to be a chance."

"Gotcha." Mika said as she hurried over and took her brother's place supporting her cousin who's skin seemed to be becoming tighter along his cheekbones, not a good sign and she could already feel the difference in her cousin's weight.  "Hurry, Wufei."

"You better believe it." Wufei said as he turned on his heels and began running full speed in the direction of the village where he assumed his uncle was liable to be, resurrecting the villagers who had been slaughtered in the attack before the others had had the chance to intervene.  Moving swiftly he ignored the branches and such that sliced into his skin as his mind focused only on saving Ronin's life.

"What's the big deal, can't your uncle's great healing sword bring him back?" Ren asked as they stood there, helpless to do anything but keep Ronin supported and doing their best to ignore his slight whimpers and the fact that he was becoming lighter and lighter as the seconds passed.  "That's what he did with that human of his, Rin right?"

"Normally he could but in order for that to work there has to be flesh still on the bones of the corpse, there won't be in this case now will there?" Mika growled in frustration, supporting her cousin with one hand and using the other hand to rub Ronin's back, hoping it provided some comfort.  "The reason why no one's ever found something that can even slow it down is because usually the victim is consumed nearly bones and all in ten minutes.  We don't have anything like that in my mother's world either though we do have something called a komodo dragon who's a bad guy to mess with too but not like this.  And of course snakes venom and such but then again usually-snakes-venom..That's it!" Mika said, halting her rambling.

"What's it?" Ren asked, confused as to why the idiot dog demon looked happy about something and the fact that she was smiling..at him.  She never smiled at him.

"Support his weight, I have an idea." Mika said then moved away giving the wolf demon no choice but to take all the weight which wasn't as bad as it would be considering the demon was already losing quite a bit of his body weight.  Moving over to the injured area Mika quickly ripped the cloth so that basically his entire side was visible, the slight scar dribbling black liquid from it against the white skin of her cousin's usually bronzed side.  "Treat it like a snake bite." Mika said with a smirk before leaning forward to place her lips on the wound, beginning to suck the poison out of it even as the liquid burned her throat as she drew as much into her mouth as she could before spitting it out, knowing that some of the poison was finding its way down her throat as she did it.

In the Hall

"Oh my God." Kagome as she pressed her hands to her mouth in horror as she watched her daughter struggle to remove the poison from her cousin's body as Ronin continued to look more and more like a starved and dying demon.  "Inu yasha."

"Ronin." Sora whispered, tears brewing in her eyes as she watched her brother's pale and tortured face as he struggled not to make a sound, not to betray his heritage as he would see it.

"Those bloody bastard, lacing those shards with Komono blood." Inu yasha growled as he cradled Kagome in his arms, the girl overcome with grief for the nephew she had yet to meet.  Inu yasha watched Ren yell at Mika about exposing herself to the poison but his daughter paid the comments no heed, continuing to do her best to suck as much of the toxic poison as she could.  "Damn it." was all Inu yasha could say.

"Cowardly bastard scum." Kouga said, in perfect agreement with Inu yasha for once.  The boy had fought bravely and well, to be taken down, over a flesh wound was wrong.  Anyone who would use such a weapon deserved to be impaled upon it.

Watching this all in silence Sesshoumaru showed no signs of even being aware of what he was watching-except if you looked at his hands where blood was dripping from them, his claws digging into his palms so deeply that most would be screaming in agony.

Meanwhile

"RONIN!" Ren looked over to see a huge dog demon in its true form coming bounding towards them, Hotaru, the one who had yelled on the demon's back.  She was hopping off as soon as they drew close and instantly the smoke appeared around the demon to reveal it was Dare as the two hurried over to them.  "What happened?"

"Ronin?" Dare said with a worried look as he noticed how his brother looked like death and his cousin looked as though she intended to follow him, her color gone and her skin looking a lot tighter on her bones then he could recall.  Moving to the side Mika had been on Dare helped support his brother while Hotaru looked over her sister's shoulder worryingly.

"Komono blood, she's been trying to suck it out of him." Ren said as he listen to the concerned noises Hotaru was making as she kept looking from her sister to her younger cousin.  "Tell her to stop, there's nothing she can do and it's going to kill her too."

"It's already killing her." Hotaru said with fear in her voice as she looked at them both gravely, her voice shaking ever so slightly as she tried to keep herself under control as losing it now would do no one any good.  "She's ingesting it, that's much worse then simply being exposed to it through a cut of something along those lines.  She's given it a direct line to her systems."

"Stop-Mika-stop." Came Ronin's weak voice, weakly trying to bat her away with his hand though it was no more then a butterfly touch as she ignored him, ignored the burning of the poison, the overwhelming pain it caused her.  She couldn't stand there and do nothing, she had to give Wufei time, she had to until she couldn't anymore.

In the Hall

"Mika..Ronin." Kyou said as he watched, unable to do anything as he watched the lives of his cousin and his sister be eaten away, watched them lose all their color, their life forces being drained right out of them as they both struggled against the poison eating them alive.  "NO!" Was all he could yell as he moved forward, letting Andrea drag him back against her, needing the comfort as her arms wrapped around him from behind to give him what comfort she could.

"Oh God." Was all Sango could say as she watched on with horror, looking over at Kagome out of the corner of her eyes. Seeing her friend with her head pressed into Inu yasha's neck, quietly weeping, every once in a while looking up to the images to watch her daughter die before her eyes as she fought for her cousin's life.  Looking over to Sesshoumaru her eyes went huge as she saw the blood dripping from his clenched fists, his eyes never flinching or leaving the screen.  That was his son dying up there, Sango realized with a flash of insight..whatever he was or had done-that was his son he was being forced to stand by and watch die.  Not even thinking about it she lifted the hand that was chained to his and moving closer placed it on his arm, looking back at him courageously when he turned his head slightly to look at her before looking back at the screen, allowing her hand to stay where it was.  

"Don't look, Rin." Shippou said gravely as he tried to shield the girl from what was going on in front of them but she was too quick and got around him and to her Master before Shippou could stop her.  Leaning against Sesshoumaru's side Rin wrapped her arms around his leg to comfort her poor Master.

"So inhumane, only a truly inhumane being would use such a weapon against an opponent, such a cowardly act." Miroku said as he watched n, shaking his head as he watched the drama unfold he felt bad for Inu yasha and Kagome, even a little bit for Sesshoumaru which surprised him.  But even someone as cold and sometimes as evil as Sesshoumaru, still didn't deserve to watch his son be slowly eaten alive, especially a son who didn't appear to deserve such a terrible, terrible fate.

Meanwhile

Mika lasted as long as she could but finally her system couldn't take it anymore.  Spitting out what she could she fell backwards, unconscious as her sister caught her in her arms, dragging her slightly away before looking from her barely breathing sister to Ronin.  There was nothing she could do for Mika-but there was something she could do for Ronin.  Pushing thoughts of her children and her husband aside Hotaru moved forward and took Mika's place, beginning to suck out the poison and spit it out.  

"Oh friggin-damn it." Ren said as he looked from Hotaru to the motionless Mika.  What the Hell were they doing, the guy was already dead and should by some miracle he lived he would have their deaths on his head.  Hotaru had pups and a mate for God sakes.  "Take him." Ren growled and when Dare had the full weight of his basically lightweight brother Ren hurried over to Mika's still form, getting down on his knees beside her.  Her lips were stained black; her eyes closed as her chest barely rose and fell which every shallow breath she took.  "Damn it Mika, you're not allowed to die." Ren said as he leaned forward to shake her a little, anger and worry intertwined in his words.  If he'd stopped to think about it he would have realized that he was terrified at the thought of her dying, but at the moment all thoughts were focused on getting her better-somehow.  "No one is allowed to kill you but me, you know that, you brain dead dog.  Now open your eyes and start showing what little demon blood you have instead of a pitiful human's."

"Oh go screw yourself, can't I even die in peace, you half wit idiot." Came a weak answer and her eyes opened to mere slits as she looked up at him, her voice no more then a whisper that just reached his sensitive ears.  "You could have never beat me-anyway."

"Oh shut up, I would have too." Ren grumbled out of form though he felt awful as he watched her watch him, realizing that this could be the last time they argued, fought over their fighting and even just insulting each other.  She'd never be around to bitch at and insult, to fight with over stupid things that made no sense.  "I'm not losing you like this." Ren whispered as he took her nearest hand in his, not even realizing what he was doing.  "Besides Uncle Kouga would kill me if I let his favorite goddaughter die."

"Surprised he hasn't already died from the shame-having you for a godson." Mika whispered hoarsely, the barest hint of a smile on her face at the familiar batter.  She'd miss this, more then she'd thought she would.

"Well if having you for a goddaughter hasn't done him in I doubt having a superior full blooded wolf demon for a godson would be a disappointment." Ren said with a small smile of his own, his mind racing with possibilities.  They weren't beaten yet-he just had to figure out a way to get the poison out of her system-or at least some of it.  He couldn't suck it out as she had done for Ronin but maybe if she threw it up then-that was it.  "Hold on, Mika.  I've got an idea."

"If it's an intelligent one that'll be a first." Mika whispered as she felt his hand slip from hers, strangely missing the comfort of it.  "Don't hurry back on my account, the last thing I need is your ugly face to be the last thing I see before I croak."

"Hahaha, very fun, my sides are splitting with laughter." Ren said sarcastically before getting up and yelling out to the others that he'd be right back he quickly turned into his true form, bounding off into the bush at break neck speed.

In the Hall

"My-my goddaughter?" Kouga breathed in dread as he listened to Ferio's laughter as he laughed as Mika lay on the grass, struggling to breathe as she turned her head to watch Ren, his godson apparently bound off.  "You bastard." Kouga yelled out at the laughing Ferio, praying that he was the one to find Ferio here in this time so that he could massacre the thing.

"Maybe-maybe Ren or Sesshoumaru can save them." Kagome whispered into Inu yasha's neck as she leaned her head there, her face looking to the screen, unable to draw her breath away from her child as her tears soaked the front of Inu yasha's shirt.

"She's our daughter; it will take a hell of a lot more then a little poison to take her down." Inu yasha said comfortingly, his clawed hand stroking his wife's head as he watched his daughter lie there, silently pleading for her to rise and be all right.  He had lost so many of the people he cared about-he didn't want to lose this daughter of his, bring her into the world knowing that he would lose her this way.

Meanwhile

Hotaru struggling to stay conscious she was barely aware when her nose caught the scent of her mother and her aunt approaching on Kirara.  Turning her head away from her goal for a moment she could see a blurry image of them flying towards them before she passed out cold like her sister, her breathing shallow and low.  

"Ronin, Mika Hotaru." Sango called out as she looked at the girls sprawled out on the grass and Ronin being held up only by his brother, Ronin looking like a limp corpse, his clothes hanging off of him like a child wearing its parent's clothes.  Hoping off Kirara's back as soon as it was safe she was on her feet and running to Ronin who seeing her coming tried to move to her, falling into her arms when Dare let him go.  Holding him close Sango stroked his hair, her eyes closing in grief as she felt all his bones and his shallow breathing against the collar of her cat suit.

"Hotaru, Mika!" Kagome cried as she hopped off Kirara, heading first to Mika who lay there so still, barely breathing as she mother brought her up against her, burying her face in her daughter's hair.  Hearing her daughter faintly call her name Kagome looked into her daughter's barely open eyes.  "It's going to be okay, baby, it will be all right."

"Say good bye-everyone." Mika whispered to her mother, tears forming in both their eyes as they looked at each other.  "Tell-loved them..all..find Kyou and rest..know you can."

"Hush now, you're going to be just fine." Kagome said pulling her daughter back into her arms and into a tight embrace.  "You're not going anywhere and that's final.  I'm your mother after all, you have to listen to me, it's a rule."  Feeling the earth shake under her Kagome looked to see a large wolf demon appearing from the forest, turning into Ren as he ran over to her, pulling some strange grass like plant from his belt.

"Here, take this, chew it up as finely as you can and make Hotaru swallow it." Ren demanded as he came to a stop in front of her.  Not questioning him Kagome took the grasses and ran over to her eldest daughter, knowing that her youngest one would be safe with Ren.  Quickly stuffing his remaining grasses into his mouth Ren began to chew vigorously, his sharp teeth un use to the vegetation but quickly it was a pasty liquid and pulling Mika against him he tilted her head back and placing his lips against hers transferred the mix into her mouth.  Massaging her throat Ren made sure it went down while Kagome did the same.

Drawing on what little strength he had, basically all of it, Ronin lifted his head to look Sango in the eye.  "Tell father-sorry..love you all." He managed to get out before slumping motionlessly into her arms, completely limp as he lay in her arms, all the fight seeming to be gone as the poison ran faster and faster through his dying veins.

Clutching him against her in a death hold Sango's eyes welled up with pain and grief as she held him, burying her face in his hair before twisting around to scream out a name in anguish and pain that echoed in the stillness of the valley sending shivers down the spine of all those who heard it.  "SESSHOUMARU!"

Author's Note: Well that's it for now, don't worry, Ronin is far from out for the count, don't demon genes and having a live giving sword wheeler father come in handy? lol


	14. Fight For Life

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the messed up plot I have created for the amusement of my readers. Please enjoy and let me know what you think. 

Fight For Life 

As if on cue there came the sound of a bone chilling growl and into view came two large dog demons in their true forms with Wufei close behind them. Her eyes lighting up with hope Sango yelled out Sesshoumaru's name and to hurry with the sword. Meters away the two demons were surrounded by smoke and Sesshoumaru became visible as he appeared from the smoke to slash his life giving sword into his son. Dropping the sword and falling to his knees both of them stared down at the still form of Ronin while Ronin's older brother hung over his father's shoulder with a close to terrified look. Slowly they watched Ronin's face start to fill out and reshape to its normal state. Calling Kohaku over with the request to use the sword on the girls Kohaku reluctantly left his brother and picking up the sword moved over to Ren's side and drawing back his father's sword sent it into his pale but alive cousin then hurried over to do the same to Hotaru before moving back to his brother who looked like himself only sleeping and not moving. "Ronin, Ronin open your eyes." Sesshoumaru commanded, his usually strong and cold voice breaking slightly as his son continued to lay limply in Sango's arms. "Son..wake up." 

"Come on, you can do it, baby." Sango said as she stroked his hair, cuddling him close as her tears slid down her cheeks and onto his face. It was her little brother all over again only this time it was her son and it was so much worse. Her baby, her precious little boy. "I can't lose you like this, I won't lose you too." 

"Come on little brother, you can do it. Just open your eyes." Kohaku said as he set a clawed hand on his father's shoulder, leaning over with his eyes fixed on his brother's closed lids. Blinking Kohaku could have sworn he say the lashes twitch then felt a grin cross his features as they did it again. "He's waking up." 

Propping him up against her better Sango began to smile through her tears as the boy's lashes rose slowly to mere slits but she could hear him breathing now, hear his heart begin to beat against hers. "Welcome back, sweetie." 

"Good..be..back." Came the hoarse answer before the eyes closed again though he continued to breath easier and his heart began to beat with its former strong and steady beat. He was slowly coming back into himself and wondered if he should tell his mother that he'd seen a boy dressed in demon hunter's garbs standing in light waiting for him along with several other people, one of the women looking exactly like his mother only slightly older. He'd tell her later, Ronin thought as he slipped into tired exhaustion. Now he had plenty of time. 

Meanwhile 

"He..okay?" Was the first thing Mika asked when she was done coughing out all the poison she could that had been eating her alive. Looking up into Ren's face she couldn't recall ever being so happy to see the ugly son of a bitch. Trying to turn her head to see her cousin she found that she couldn't see anything as her aunt and uncle appeared to have formed a Ronin sandwich with her cousin squished between them with Kohaku watching over them with a stupid grin on his face. 

"He's okay, thanks to you and Hotaru." Ren agreed as he watched them both and felt a twinge of envy. Would his father do that? Hug him so fiercely where everyone could see him, would his mother weep the way Sango was weeping now in joy that he was alive. The fact that he didn't know was a sad thing as he turned his eyes away to look down at Mika who lay with her back resting against his chest, his arm around her waist to hold her there as she used him as a chair while she recovered. What would Mika have done had it been him instead of Ronin? Would she have been willing to give up her life the way she'd been willing to do it for her cousin. Yes..she would have, Ren thought as he looked down at her, watching her grin with delight at her family. She would have helped him despite all their fighting and arguing, would have risked her life for him even if only for their godfather's sake. "That was a brave thing you did, wench." 

"You saved my life..didn't you, Ren?" Mika said as she tipped her head up to meet his gaze, her golden eyes holding his dark ones. "Help me up." Mika added as she moved away and shakily got to her feet, Ren's hands holding her upper arms for support as she weaved there for a moment before letting her go when she seemed steady. "And you know what else you did, Ren." Mika added as a fiery light came into her eyes. "You broke a couple of my ribs with your god damn punches." Mika snarled as she drew back a fist and putting all of her strength into it sent her fist into his own stomach sending him flying into the air and into a heap several feet away. "Stupid wolf." Mika said nearly affectionately as she dropped to her knees to catch her breath after using most of her strength in the punch. 

"Mika! Go help him up this instant!" Kagome called over to her youngest daughter with disapproval as well as relief in her voice as she cradled Hotaru in her arms, her oldest fine and just a little too exhausted to get up at the moment. 

Sending her mother a do I have to Mika easily read that she had to on her mother's face and getting shakily back to her feet made her way over to the stupid wolf demon to help the idiot up with a great deal of pouting and dark looks. Behind her came her father who came to a start by his mate and daughter, getting on his knees to cuddle his daughter as well while Kagome explained what had happened. 

In the Future 

"That's my girl." Inu yasha said with a grin, pride in his voice as he watched her stand over the wolf demon who lay on the ground on his back, his arms wrapped around his stomach with a pained look on his face. "Show him who's boss." 

"They remind me of us..though I preferred sits instead of fists." Kagome said with a shaky laugh, snuggling against her mate's chest as he held her tight as they watched their daughter hold out her hand grudgingly to give him a hand up. Watching they smiled when Ren took a hold of her hand only to send her flying over his head and onto her back so that they were both on the ground wheezing for air as they stared up at the sky, grinning in delight. "Though they seem to like beating up on each other far too much." 

"Interesting godchildren you have there, Kouga." Ginta said with a snicker as they watched the two get to their feet and start walking back to the others, for the moment content to remain silent and insult free. "They get along as well as you and Inu yasha." 

"Well they're obviously both warriors to be proud of." Kouga said with a grin, feeling pride in the strength of his two godchildren he had yet to meet. Of course it would be nicer if they got along a little better but at least they were likely entertaining to watch. "And look at him throw a fit." Kouga added as he motioned to the screen where Ferio was screeching like a wounded animal in his anger over the fact that his minions had been defeated and not one of the people he'd been trying to kill. 

"BASTARDS! STINKIN HALF BREEDS!" Ferio hissed and screamed at the screen as he watched the screens playing before him. Hurling and swearing some more there were more holes and damage done to the cave walls before he stopped then turned back to his bloody screen with insanity flashing in his eyes. "The wolves..I sent men to kill off those stupid wolves. They would have succeeded..they would have triumphed over those pathetic excuses for demons." Laughing maniacally Ferio demanded to see the destruction his men had dished out to the wolf demons. "They'll be blood everywhere, not a wolf demon left alive." Ferio said in an almost sing song voice. 

"WHAT!" Kouga snarled as his blood went cold as she watched the screen and realized that the lands they were looking at were his own. "No..not again." 

"Let us see the chaos and havoc my demons have caused." Ferio said as they came to view a battlefield littered with bodies. His cries of glee and happiness slowly faded though as he saw that only a few were wolves and that most were his own men. Crying and screaming out in fury Ferio demanded to see who was responsible for this slaughter of his men. Slowly the image before him faded then materialized to show two demons standing in a lake cleaning up from their battle, their armor on the rocks nearby with clothing well splattered with blood though there was no wound visible on either demon that looked even remotely serious. 

Future 

A tall fox demon stood stripped to the waist, his bushy tail hanging limp behind him from the water as the fox scooped up water and rubbed it into his face to get the grim off as he chattered to the other demon. His long reddish orange hair loose it was just to his shoulders and his bright eyes glittered with humor as he kicked water at the other demon with a chuckle. His narrow and well boned face alive with laughter and mischief as his friend sent him dark looks their was a decidedly foxy look to the fox demon. "Come on, Yoshi. Dogs like water..it's cats that are suppose to hate it." 

"I have no problem with water." Kiyoshi said with a roll of his eyes then knowing his friend would keep after him he joined him further into the water after removing his outer garments so he entered into the water in only his black pants. Like the fox his black hair with silver streaks was down though it was slightly longer going several inches past his well muscled shoulders. Both muscular their bodies were covered with grim from battle, the fox's tanned a dark gold while the dog demon's was barely tanned at all. Diving under the water neatly Kiyoshi surfaced streaming water down his body as he shook his head sending water everywhere as his golden eyes looked around him with a detached annoyance. "We should be heading back soon, it's not safe here." 

"You just don't like being checked out by the females." Shippou said with a nod of his head towards the opposite bank where several female wolf demons were washing clothing stained from battle or at least that was the excuse they were using. Most of them were unattached and eager to stare at the two warriors who'd come to warn them about the coming attack and who had fought so bravely. "There's some pretty nice looking ones too you know." Sending his older cousin a look Kiyoshi just managed not to roll his eyes as he finished washing off then waded back to shore to dry off, Shippou soon joining him to sit on the rocks to dry off as well. "So what do you think the chances are that there will be more of Ferio's bakas coming to try and lay siege?" Shippou asked as he used his shirt as a towel to dry off. "I mean we kicked their asses pretty good but they tend to keep coming back for more no matter how badly they get beaten. Sad really..like lemmings." 

"Nomi is watching." Kiyoshi said with a shrug as he looked up at the sky as though she would suddenly appear though of course she wasn't there. He always knew when she was nearby and he didn't sense her. As it was he'd told her to stay as far away from the wolves as possible given that more then one wolf had been stupid enough to attack Nomi despite the knowledge of what his father and family would do to anyone who harmed her. Nomi was family whether she'd been born into it or not. "She'll warn us if necessary." 

"Though there is the slight fact that if Manta or any of his stooges catches sight of her he'll try to kill her regardless of what Sesshoumaru will do to them." Shippou pointed out, his hair sticking out in places from the hard rubbing he'd given it with his shirt. "Personally I can't wait till that idiot croaks and his son takes over his place as head pack leader with Kouga. Ren at least has some intelligence even if he does keep going suicidal where my sister is concerned. I mean as entertaining as the two are Ren's going to get himself killed one of these days and his younger brother is as bad as their father!" 

"Mika won't kill him." Kiyoshi said with a shake of his head pretty sure that their constant bickering was more for Ren and Mika's entertainment now then to harm the other. Nomi even had it in her head that Ren had a crush on Mika and though Kiyoshi couldn't quite understand that Nomi would know more about that type of thing then he would. "Do you suppose Ren has gotten to our holdings yet?" 

"Depends on how fast that guy can go. If he puts everything he has into it and doesn't make a lot of stops I'd imagine he was there given when he left. Boy is Manta pissed off about that too. Took a lot of guts for Ren to go to your dad for help given how much Manta and Sesshoumaru dislike each other. It's a good thing that Kouga is a friend of the family or your dad would likely laugh in his face and tell him to go home." Shippou said with a smirk as he shook his head to try to get that bit of hair as dry as possible. "Or get Mika to escort him home." He added with a snicker. 

"That's mean." Kiyoshi said with the barest of smiles, rare to be sure which made it all the more stunning. "Shippou there's a snake about to fall out of the tree above you." Kiyoshi added as an after thought sending Shippou into curses as he looked up in time to see the thing fall and catching it hurled it back into the forest. 

In the Future 

"Ren..is my son!" Manta snarled, horrified by the idea that a man who could be beaten up by a quarter demon was his son. His wife was pregnant with their first born as he stood there and he'd been looking forward to the possible heir to his line. Now he felt nothing but dread and disgust with the weakling that would be his first born. "A disgrace." 

"He is not a disgrace." Sora snarled at the wolf demon, rung out emotionally so that her usual icy cold mask wouldn't stay up showing instead a female dog demon who's eyes were red and her skin pale from fear. "You can't even begin to claim to have HALF his intelligence and leadership abilities." 

"Quiet, bitch or I'll cut out your tongue." Manta said as he marched up to face off against the girl who'd dared insult him then wished he hadn't as Sesshoumaru appeared as if from nowhere, his clawed hand slashing across Manta's chest sending the wolf demon flying across the room in a heap with five long and deep claw marks. 

"You will not speak to my daughter that way, Wolf." Sesshoumaru snarled and several of the demons backed off at the expression in the Lord of the West's eyes. Even Inu yasha was shocked at the heat and anger in his brother's eyes, the look in them more terrible then anything he'd ever seen. Breathing hard Sesshoumaru could still picture in his mind's eye his son laying in the slayer's arms as he breathed what had come so very close to his last. Seeing Manta get shakily to his feet Sesshoumaru smiled at the wolf but it was a cold and evil smile. "You should be kissing the floor Inu yasha and I walk on..apparently you owe the lives of your pack to our pups. Two of our family taking down what your whole miserable pack could not deal with on their best day, Manta " 

"Yeah, pretty sad, Manta." Inu yasha sneered feeling an unexpected warmth that his brother had called him family, something he had never done so before or at least not in a positive manner. Though the idea of having Shippou called his pup was a bit disturbing it wasn't as terrible a thought as he would have thought it should be. After all he supposed there were worse choices when you thought about it. He could have a pup like Manta or Kouga..now there was a depressing thought. "When our children...our non perfect demon children need to save your ugly ass." 

"Yeah, Kiyoshi and I kicked ass." Shippou piped up with pride, pretty impressed with himself and how strong he was apparently to become. He was going to be taller then Inu yasha, Shippou thought with glee and looked forward to the day when Inu yasha wouldn't be able to hit him in the head anymore. And..and Inu yasha had called him..his child? Unsure how to take that Shippou went quiet, his face thoughtful as he thought the idea through. He..he liked the idea, Shippou thought with a touch of surprise mixed in with pleasure and pride. He liked the idea of Inu yasha thinking of him as his son very much. 


	15. Nomi's Story

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters of which there is a lot and the plot which I came up with and you'd have to be insane to come up with lol. Hope you enjoy this latest chapter and as always please review because I love to hear from you and I only update as much as I'm reviewed. 

Nomi's Story 

"Who is this Nomi anyway?" Kouga asked Sora, thinking to distract all the wolves from Manta's pack from blindly attacking Sesshoumaru which would only get them killed and leave Manta quite packless. "Why would she have to be kept away from us wolves?" 

"Ahhh..well that's a long story." Sora said with a slightly nervous look thinking that Kouga couldn't have come up with a worse topic for that moment. Nomi was always a touchy subject with Kouga much less Manta who hated Nomi with a driving passion ever since that incident..well this was not good. "Well Nomi is kind of my brother Kiyoshi's shadow in that where ever he is she usually is too. And well there was an incident in the past, well in your future that will make things..well it's better that Nomi keep away from all wolf demons as much as possible." 

"A wolf or just demon slayer?" One of the wolves asked since he knew his leader would want to know but Manta was too busy trying to recover to ask though he was listening intently to what was being said for any ridicule aimed in his direction. 

"Neither actually. She's a demon as well." Kyo said with a smile hoping that he could somehow defuse this though most of the demons were no longer watching Ferio swear and curse and were instead concentrating on the discussion until a new topic was suddenly causing a buzz which relieved Kyo greatly until he heard the word wind demon and with dread everyone looked at the screen. Apparently Ferio had ordered to be show what was left of his troops and now they could see said troops along with a wind demon riding on a feather heading straight for them. "Oh sugar." Kyo said with a wince as many of the wolves started snarling the name Kagura even though it wasn't Kagura Kyo knew knowing exactly who it was. "There goes the neighborhood." 

Future 

A figure dressed in a black kimono with pick sakura blossoms all over it and her waist length black hair flying out behind her the wind demon was a strikingly beautiful creature, her red eyes fixed on the demons as she headed her feather straight for her target. Technically she should call for reinforcements but she knew that as soon as the wolves scented her they'd be trying to kill her and then when Daddy heard about it he'd kill every last one of them dead. That wouldn't be good and so she'd just take care of them herself. Upon landing in the meadow where the fools had stopped to lick their wounds they all turned their attention to the average height girl walking towards them as her feather shrunk and flew into her hair. She was willowy of form and looked as dangerous as a fluffy bunny rabbit. As she had quite a reputation all over these parts Nomi wasn't surprised at all when they started with the jeering. 

"Well lookie what we have here, its the great Lord's little pet." A particularly ugly weasel demon said with a sneer. "A little far from home aren't you little girl? You aren't careful you'll end up like your mother with pieces of you scattered all over the place." 

"Maybe we should use her as bait, she'll draw the wolves out like bees to honey." One of the smarter demons involved in this said with a sly look on his face as he considered her. "After all she's Kagura's little bitch and they've been foaming at the mouth to get a hold of her ever since they lost her to Sesshoumaru." The demon pointed out, running his hands together like he'd just been presented with a wondrous gift. "Or maybe you'd care to follow in your bitch mother's footsteps and draw them out for us. Ferio would pay you well." 

"No wonder you're Ferio lackeys, your brains must be smaller then a flea demons." Nomi said rolling her eyes like she was dealing with stupid children. "And I didn't come here to help you. I came here to kill you." Nomi added with a sweet and innocent smile that was in complete opposite to her words. 

"Ha, like we're afraid of you." One of the stupidest in the bunch scoffed as he saw only the image she projected and not the core of who and what she was. "You'll scream for mercy when we're done with you, bitch whore. And then we'll send your rotting corpse to that pathetically weak dog demon you call father and then we'll tear him and his unnatural little abominations to shreds." 

Eyes flashing violently Nomi pulled her blade from the sheath at her side and came running at them with fire burning in her red eyes. Jumping into the air her sword shimmered with a strange blue light, the slashes she made in the air flying at the demon targets, the slashes shown by blue light as they slashed through the demons with deadly destruction. Landing on her feet Nomi stared at the corpses littering the ground then seeing a few more left standing in shock finished them off with her blade before loudly proclaiming her anger while she gave the corpses the middle finger. "No one talks about my Daddy or my family like that! Stupid meanies!" Nomi added before sticking her tongue out at them and kicking one corpse in the head as she pulled out her feather and was soon on it and zooming away with a pouty look on her face. 

Past 

"What the hell....Kagura's..daughter?" Kouga growled, her very name like a slice into his heart. God how he hated that name and the news that she would die made him happy even as he couldn't decide what to feel concerning her daughter. Apparently the girl was fighting on the right side but she was still that witch's daughter and there wasn't a wolf demon who knew Kagura's name who didn't hate her. Wait a it be...."Sora, is that Nomi?" 

"How is it that our family is allies with the daughter of the wind demon Kagura?" Sesshoumaru asked as he pushed aside Kouga's question turning his attention to his daughter who didn't know whether to explain or try to lie her way through this. "Can you show that?" Sesshoumaru asked as he turned his attention to the woman controlling the mirror who was showing the images to them. Immediately a huge argument broke but those who were trying to keep the peace, mainly Inu yasha's group and the children from the future. The demoness was soon drawing upon her power with the warning that such things would drain her of so much power she would not be able to show them anymore. Since the leaders of their kinds for the area all wanted to see there was really no protests and soon the mirror shimmered and then images of children appeared as the story behind Nomi played out. 

As they see and hear it 

Coming into focus there were four children of various ages looking all to be around the age of seven to ten with one human girl that looked to be in her late twenties perhaps and obviously in charge. Three of the children were boys who all had the purple crescent moons and stripes on their faces to make their heritage obviously known while the girl with them looked a great deal like a miniature Kagome with her hair in pigtails wearing a bright yellow shirt with purple overalls. Her demon cousins all wore loose pants of varying colors with robes over top like miniature versions of their father Sesshoumaru. They were all walking along chatting away when the children started tugging on Rin's hand as they pointed to the east of them, talking about a strange smell coming from over there. Of course Rin wouldn't let them go but Ronin, always curious slipped away and realizing he was gone Rin didn't have to think about where the mischievous rascal had gone. Since she couldn't leave the other children behind Rin ushered them with her and soon they found Ronin standing over a still female figure in torn robes who was laying on the ground, not moving. He was shaking her shoulder trying to get her to wake up and the blood that was pouring from her wounds and onto the ground scared him though he was too much his father's son to show it. When they arrived on the scene Rin immediately hurried over and told Ronin to get away from the woman then once he'd complied Rin walked over and gasped when she identified the still form as Kagura, the wind user she'd once know as a child though she was in very bad shape and barely alive. Looking over her shoulder when she felt someone poke her side she saw Hotaru there looking at her with sad eyes. "What is it, sweetie?" Rin asked though she already knew. Hotaru cried when she accidentally stepped on ants, much less being faced with an actually dying person. 

"Kiyoshi smelled something and went over there." Hotaru announced pointing a small distance away where her cousin had gone. "Is the lady going to be okay? We should get Uncle Sessie to come and make her all better with his magical sword." 

Not likely, Rin thought with a grimace then remembering called Kiyoshi back. Shortly the boy came walking back only he was carrying something in his arms which he was staring at in fascination, not even looking where he was going. "Kiyoshi, what do you have there?" Rin asked and the boy quickly came over and held up his prize to his big sister so that she could see the infant he held in his arms, wrapped in a blanket with her bright red eyes wide and laughing, a smile on her chubby face. "A baby...oh my." Hearing the sound of crashing Rin could only blink when her father suddenly appeared with Jakken, both looking ready for battle. "Father." 

"What happened?" Sesshoumaru demanded as his gaze swept over his children and Hotaru to make sure they were okay then down to the still form laying on the ground. He didn't feel one way or another about the wind usher and looking down at her still form Sesshoumaru felt a small stir of pity as everything she'd done was really a result of Naraku and not of her own will. In fact as far as he knew since Naraku's defeat she'd lived in solitary peace and he'd heard nothing of her continuing her former master's work. "Kagura...the wolves finally got her, they're looking for her now. I met up with them and came to retrieve you children so that you didn't get in their way." 

"Sesshoumaru-sama...please." Came a weak voice and everyone crowded around as Kagura's eyes flickered open as though she'd been saving all her strength till the Lord of the West got there. "I beg you..take her..please...protect her from them." 

"Who is she?" Sesshoumaru said in confusion then figured it out when his son came over and showed the baby to him, Kagura managing a weak smile at the sight of her child. "You wish me to take your child? Why would I of all people do such a thing?" Sesshoumaru said in a cold tone though he already knew why. In the recent years people had assumed he'd softened a lot more then he had and were continually underestimating him and what he would and would not do. 

"Please..Nomi has done nothing wrong but..but they will tear her to shreds for my..sins. They've killed my..my love and now me. I will not ask you to save me..only her. The wolves..they fear you and will leave her..alone if she is under your protection." Kagura said before breaking into choking coughs, coughing up blood which had the children moving closer to Rin and Sesshoumaru even while they stared at her. "I beg you...Lord of the West..most powerful demon..take her and give her the life..I couldn't." 

"And have the wolves attacking my holding and those connected with me in revenge for taking away their prize?" Sesshoumaru said shaking his white head, refusing to look at the child for fear of weakening. "Kiyoshi." Sesshoumaru added as he looked over at his son who was watching his father for instruction, the baby gurgling happily in his arms. "Put the child with her and we're leaving." 

"No." Kiyoshi said simply and everyone gapping at the boy in startled surprise, Sesshoumaru obviously not knowing what to do since his children knew better then to question him and it was his child so he couldn't harm the boy. Demanding the boy to put the baby down the boy simply shook his head. "She's mine." Kiyoshi stated with a stubborn look coming into his eyes as he cradled the child against him protectively. "Nomi is mine, I'll protect her from the wolves." 

"They'd tear you to shreds." Sesshoumaru pointed out in exasperation. 

"You wouldn't let them." Kiyoshi pointed out wisely and since it was true that he would tear apart anyone who even raised a hand to one of his children Sesshoumaru couldn't argue his son's point. Looking from the still form of Kagura who watched him to the children and Rin who were all looking at him expectedly Sesshoumaru shook his head then turned his attention to Kagura. 

"She will have mine through my son." Sesshoumaru said and then ordered all his children to start back towards the house, turning his back on Kagura even as she thanked him. Herding the children away they could distantly hear the howls of the wolves and in protection Sesshoumaru transformed into his true form and had everyone climb on for a ride, arriving at the meadow on the east side of his holding clearly visible in no time. Transforming back Sesshoumaru walked with the children following close behind with Rin covering the back, everyone quiet knowing better then to speak since they could all tell that the great Lord of the West was not happy at all. 

Aware of the looks his siblings and cousin were giving him Kiyoshi was too busy gazing at his new ward to pay much attention to the looks. It was as if the little girl had him hypnotized and all he could think about was that he would take good care of her and that when she grew up she'd be as powerful as his Mommy and the wolves would quiver at the sight of her. Feeling a hand on his shoulder Kiyoshi looked up to see Rin with her hand on his shoulder, a sympathetic look on her face. Not so young that he didn't see the problems with his plans Kiyoshi looked at his big sister with a questioning look. "Do you think he'll let mommy help me with her?" 

"I don't think he could stop her, Ki." Rin said with a wink as she smiled down at the baby. "And you have a very beautiful baby there so you'll have to take very good care of her." 

"I will." Kiyoshi said with a serious look that looked absolutely adorable on his pretty cute face. 

Meanwhile 

At that point the pictures blurred and then there were clips shown of Nomi as she grew up, usually with Kiyoshi within reaching distance as she took her first steps, picked flowers and played with Kiyoshi and his brothers with obvious delight. There were a few with Sesshoumaru in it but by all appearances he ignored the child and to a large extent seemed to pretend she wasn't there or that she even existed. Then the pictured cleared up and a new scene began with the girl Nomi looking to be around seven in human years. She was sitting a meadow without anything but trees and woods in sight as she picked flowers which she was forming into a pretty arrangement, discarded daisy chains all around her. She was humming under her breath but then she stopped suddenly and looked around her as though she sensed something was wrong. Getting to her feet she dropped her flowers and started running just as the causes of her fear came into view. Fourteen full bloodied wolf demons had her surrounded on all sides forming a circle around her as she turned every which way looking for a means of escape where there was none. A wolf broke away from the circle to reveal himself as Manta, an evil and cruel look on his face as he approached the child who started to back away then forced herself to stand her ground, junting out her chin rebelliously. "Well well, looks like the little bitch wandered a bit far from home and away from her protectors." Manta sneered as he towered over the girl. "You know that Sesshoumaru sama doesn't even want you, don't you? We could take you right now and when we were done with you there'd be nothing left for him to trace..not that he'd bother or care. After all your nothing but that weakling son of his's pet, a weak little pest Sesshoumaru sama would likely be thrilled to get rid of." 

"I'm..I'm not afraid of you." Nomi said though her voice shook slightly since she wasn't entirely sure that he wasn't right. "And he will too care..Master Sesshomaru will kill you if you lay a hand on me." 

"Well then lets just see." Manta said with a laugh that had her shrinking into herself at the cruelty she heard in the laugh. "Several members of my little group here lost family thanks to your mother..they'd love to get some payback. An eye for an eye." Manta said then backing up told his wolves to tear the girl to shreds. The first to reach her picked her up by the front of her kimono and backhanded her before throwing her over to another who caught her before throwing her hard to the ground as the girl silently cried, in serious pain as she curled up to in a ball as one of the wolves drew back his foot to kick her again after his first hard kick to her ribcage. The second kick never came though as a roar of fury filled the air and all the wolves backed up to surrounded their leader as Sesshoumaru came snarling into the clearing, his sword out and the most frightening dark and angry look anyone had ever seen on his handsome face. Getting between Nomi and the wolves he simply looked at them as they shook where they stood in fear, his very look terrifying them to the bone. 

"Nomi..are you alright?" Sesshoumaru asked in a surprisingly gentle voice, never taking his eyes off the wolves as he waited for an answer. When she replied that she was okay Sesshoumaru's eyes lost some of their heat but there was still plenty to spare. "You've developed a death wish, Manta. What made you think you could get away with laying a hand on one of my children?" Sesshoumaru asked in a soft but very deadly voice. 'Were you under the mistaken impression that you could take me on even with your pathetic little furballs there to help you out?" 

"But..but she's not your child." One of the wolves stupidly said as he pointed at the child who was peering from behind Sesshoumaru, her arms wrapped around her waist.. "She's that evil bitch's daughter. She's nothing but an abomination." 

"You've all just sealed your fates." Was his answer as Sesshoumaru reached for the sash to his robes and removing said robes threw it behind him with orders to Nomi to put the garment over her head and to plug her ears. Waiting a moment for that to be completed Sesshoumaru turned around briefly to check then turning back to them proceeded to massacre every wolf there, tearing them literally limb from limb leaving only Manta alive though minus an arm and sorely beaten. Backing Manta up against a tree with his blade at the wolf's throat Sesshoumaru gave his orders. "I will let you live only to spread the word of what has happened here and why. Anything that dare even think of attempting to harm what is mine will be killed and very unpleasantly at that. Now run, away." Sesshoumaru commanded and backing up watched the wolf take off running, leaving the remains of his comrades where they'd fallen. Waiting until he was out of sight Sesshoumaru walked back over to Nomi and removed the robe from her head, the child blinking at him with tears rolling down her cheeks, her fingers in her ears. Gently pulling them out Sesshoumaru put the robe back on then to the girl's obvious shock picked her up and started walking back the way he'd come with her cradled in his arms. "Never wander away like this again, Nomi. Everyone was worried sick." Sesshoumaru commanded and had the girl nodding her head rapidly in agreement. Minutes going by the girl seemed to be thinking hard about something before she finally spoke. 

"Master Sesshoumaru.....you told those bad wolves that I was one of your children...but you said that I was Kiyoshi's and that I wasn't your child before..so which is it?" Nomi asked as she looked at him questioningly, her little face swelling up already from the slap she'd received. "Am I a servant like Jakken or am I yours like Kiyoshi and Kohaku are yours?" 

Quiet for a very long time Sesshoumaru finally answered. "You're mine..just like Kiyoshi and Kohaku." 

"Oh." Nomi said with a growing smile before hesitantly wrapping her arms around his neck and when he didn't tell her to let him go she smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. "Does that mean I can call you Daddy like Dare and Sora do?" 

"I'll think about it." Was his tense response. 


	16. Know Her Anywhere

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot which are mine, all mine muhahahaha. Anyway hope you enjoy this latest chapter and that you review because I'd love to hear from ya lol. 

Family Tree- the following is the answer to the few reviews I've had that pple stated having a problem telling who belongs to who 

Sesshoumaru's- Kohaku (wife Keely) Ronin, Kiyoshi, Dare, Sora, Rin (husband Triton) Nomi 

Inu yasha's- Hotaru (husband Linc) Wufei (wife Chelsea) Mika, Kyou, Shippou 

) 

Know Her Anywhere 

Once the images flickered and died there was nothing but silence in the hall as everyone processed what they'd all just seen and heard. Many of the demons in the room were rethinking their opinions of the Lord of the West and just how powerful/weak he was. He was going to be a force to be reckoned with in the future and many demons were thinking to either ally with him or get him out of the way before he had a chance to acquire such fierce allies and family. Sesshoumaru was more then a bit shocked over the fact that he'd apparently adopted the wind user's daughter even though it would appear she was more his son's then his. She would be a powerful ally and likely came in handy, Sesshoumaru thought with a considering look on his face. Plus he'd apparently get to humiliate and tear Manta practically to shreds which was a nice thought and would make up for the annoyance of having the girl in his care and having to protect her from the wolves. Manta was in a state of shock both to learn that he would be losing both a battle and an arm to Sesshomaru, not to mention actually running away from the Lord of the West which was an unbelievable humiliation. Now that he knew it was going to happen he had no intention of seeing history repeating its self and had already started to plot Sesshoumaru's end. Shortly after the visions the meeting broke up to be continued the next day as the host had to take his mate up to rest from her tiring use of her magic. Everyone filtering out of the hall many headed out to set up camp on the lord's grounds. Needing to take a walk Sesshoumaru simply started walking away from camp once he'd left Rin in Kagome's care giving Sango no choice but to follow him on her feet or being dragged. 

) 

Keeping up to him without too much trouble Sango would have let him have it for treating her like a weak and spineless servant but she held her tongue this once. He'd almost seen his son die before his eyes after all, not to mention getting the startling news that he was going to be adopting Kagura's child. Then of course there was the biggest shock of all which had to do with his connection to herself. She'd like to think that she was Ronin's mate but it had been the actions of a mother she'd witness on the screen and the thought terrified her. She could excuse falling for Ronin since he'd appeared to be a good and decent young man but she would only be lying to herself if she believed the idea. Sesshoumaru's oldest was named Kohaku and they'd already established that Sesshoumaru's wife was a human who was tough enough to handle the cool dog demon. There could be no mistake and the thought that she would someday become this silent demon's mate was unsettling to say the least. He was a murderer, a cold hearted bastard who would think nothing of killing hundreds of innocents. But it hadn't been an evil demon who'd rescued not only Rin and Nomi from sure death nor had it been a cold man who'd sliced into his own palms at the sight of his son's impending death. And there were five children that would be theirs by blood. Which not only caused her to blush but would indicate that she had feelings for him since you didn't have that many children simply out of a duty and she'd given him a son first try as well. 

His own thoughts following hers Sesshoumaru didn't know what to say to her. Had it been the old him he would have slaughtered her now to prevent the future he'd seen but the future he'd seen..didn't horrify him the way it should. He could still picture the slayer cradling his son against her, weeping as she called out his name and the pain he'd felt when his name said with such anguish had passed her lips. She wasn't hideous by any stretch of the word and when she wasn't talking back to him she wasn't too much of an annoyance. She was rather stunning for a human actually but that didn't change the fact that she was in fact human and the idea that he would willing lay with her, give her his children was mind boggling. She'd given him children to be proud of at least and it would appear that together they'd raised strong and confident pups who weren't hindered in any way by their slightly tainted blood thankfully. Not to mention that none of them looked like they were only half though the children had hinted they weren't exactly only half. He didn't understand that either but took it to mean she was referring to the fact that Rin was human and that Nomi was a full wind demon. By all the Gods he had seven pups in one way or another. He'd never expected to have more then maybe two sons to carry on his name and line, full blooded, more then two pups had never factored into his thoughts. "I must have been out of my mind." Sesshoumaru finally said after they'd been walking for nearly an hour in complete silence, both lost in thought and Sango didn't even have to ask what he was thinking. 

) 

"I'd say we both had to be but I don't think we looked out of our minds. Besides we would have had to be out of our minds for a very long time." Sango pointed out dryly as she crossed her arms across her chest as protection against the cool night air though it meant getting closer to Sesshoumaru so that she could move her one arm. "Five for God sakes and they ALL look like you." 

"At least they don't look like Inu yasha." Sesshoumaru said with the faintest of smiles touching his lips for a moment before disappearing as though it had never been there to begin with but Sango saw it and smirked. 

) 

Meanwhile in the Future 

Kiyoshi was sprawled out on his back with a cloth bag under his head for a pillow as he lay there with his eyes closed. Deep in thought he had the appearance of someone napping which was only heightened by the fact that Nomi was cuddled against his side using Kiyoshi's bare chest as a pillow for her head. With his arm around her waist holding here there they made quite the picture and Shippou would have said so but didn't care for he splitting headache that would come from Nomi whacking him upside the head with her fan. Sitting on a rock on the other side of the campfire Shippou was on watch duty for the moment since they weren't all that close to the caves where the wolves were. Normally they would have but it wasn't safe for Nomi to be there even with them and so they'd opted to camp down wind of the caves since it wasn't safe for Nomi to be out alone even if she was floating in the air high above the ground. As Kiyoshi had put it there were plenty of demons that could fly too. Technically Kiyoshi was keeping watch too since he was well aware of what was going on around him closed eyes or not but Shippou was official watcher at the moment and wished he could go to bed. But he couldn't till it was Nomi's turn to watch and so he tried to get comfortable on the rock and forget about curling up by the fire with his tail as a soft pillow. 

Feeling a strange sense of forbidding Shippou stopped wishing he could go to sleep and stood up on the rock. Carefully inhaling the scents of the forest he sorted through them looking for something that didn't belong but found nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps some wolf demons were coming thinking that they would take them by surprise. Wolf demons were stupid that way. Could be the enemy too of course but they would be making more noise and have given themselves away by now. Inhaling deeply Shippou scrunched his nose in confusion at the new smell that had hit his sensitive nose. It was faint but it was there and he'd know that scent anywhere. "Kiyoshi..do you smell her?" 

) 

"Yes..I think so." Kiyoshi said as he'd come to the same conclusion and getting confirmation Shippou took off running with Kiyoshi cursing as h shook Nomi awake since he couldn't go after Shippou and leave her there fast asleep. Moving like the wind Shippou made hardly a sound except for his faint and rapid beating. He could smell her more clearly now, it was her, she was back. But as he got closer a new scent hit his nose which had his heart pounding and his mind coming up with agonizing images about what he might find. It was the fruity, almost metallic scent of blood and it was Sora's blood he smelled, he was sure of it. Lips drawing back in a snarl Shippou burst into a clearing and stared at the sight before him, not even aware of the force field that had sprung up behind him preventing Nomi and Kiyoshi from following him into the clearing where the trap had been laid. The sight before him was of Ferio, smiling evilly at him with one of his tentacles held an unconscious Sora, her blood staining her clothes in a scent that had become nauseating to the fox demon. As if she were suddenly aware that he were there Shippou watched Sora slowly lift her head and reach out a free arm as if to call him to her. "Shippou..help me." Came Sora's thin and thready voice, begging him for help and putting a red haze in front of Shippou's eyes. 

"SORA!" Shippou yelled out then charged, coming at the laughing Ferio at full speed and jumping into the air with his sword raised Shippou's eyes met Sora's for an instant. Blinking in confusion Shippou changed targets quickly and pushed off against Ferio, landing on the ground having not struck a blow, staring at Sora intently like Ferio wasn't even there. 

) 

"See that little girl, he's too afraid of me to even try to save you." Ferio guffed in an almost sing song tone designed to grate on ones ears and make you want to kill them just to shut them up permanently. "What's the matter little fox? Fear got your tail?" 

"Shippou..please..please Shippou." Sora called out to him, tears shimmering in her golden eyes before she gasped in pain as the tentacle holding her tightened its fierce grip. She looked like a doll in the grasp of the horrible monster under a child's bed. Her face distorted in pain Shippou could feel her pain echoing in his own heart as he tried to see beyond the rage and emotion clouding his judgment. "Why won't you save me?" 

"Because I had to know something first." Shippou said finally with a calm look, the red haze reappearing only brighter this time as he made up his mind. "And I will save Sora, I give my word on it." Shippou added then charged right back at Ferio which was exactly what the monster wanted Shippou to do but this time would be different. Once again jumping into the air Shippou aimed for Ferio's heart right up until the last second before he twisted his body and ran Sora through the heart with his large blade. Letting go of his blade Shippou jumped away as both Ferio and Sora erupted into ear splitting screams with the tentacle promptly letting Sora go, the girl dropping to the ground in a heap. Shippou watched as she got to her knees while Ferio's hideous laughter rang out and his taunts about her true love killing her filled the still air. The girl pulled the blade from her chest and throwing it away stared at him in pain and heartbreak. 

"Why, Shippou? .I love you..why..how could you..why?" Sora said as blood poured from the wound to the ground, her arms outstretched as if to call her to him once more, the picture of the tragically dying heroine. 

"Because you aren't Sora." Shippou said, his eyes flashing in the moonlight as he stared at the beautiful form that was certainly not this creature's true face and form. "You almost had me fooled but your mistake was disguising yourself as Sora...in a room full of identical women I would always be able to find my Sora." Walking closer Shippou retrieved his knife from his belt and threw it at her, the blade going straight through the creature's heart. Slowly the figure that had been the taunting Ferio faded away as if it had never been there and the Sora look alike began to change before his very eyes into a small, disfigured creature about the size of a small child looking kind of like Gollum from the Lord of the Rings trilogy he'd seen once at his grandma's. Walking over Shippou retrieved his sword and stood over the creature who writhered on the ground in the obscene dance of impeding death. 

"No one..has ever managed to know me from those they loved most..until their blood..was on my hands. You must love her..dearly..fox demon..to have seen through my illusions. If she makes it..back alive from the past..tell her of..your love." The creature said as it finally managed to remove the dagger and threw it at Shippou's feet. "In times..like this...time is not something one has..the ability to stop." The creature managed to gasp out before closing its beady eyes, its body ceasing to move. Backing away from the form with his dagger in his hand Shippou never took his eyes off the form and when he was several meters away he dropped to his knees and dropping the dagger buried his face in his hands as he struggled to breath. 

) 

Rushing into the clearing with Nomi at his side Kiyoshi took in the scene around them, searching for his sister but finding no trace as Nomi hurried over to Shippou's side. Kneeling in front of him Nomi reached out and stroked the fox's head, asking him quietly if he was all right. When he simply pulled her against him and buried his face in her neck Nomi wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Noticing this Kiyoshi felt chills run down his neck but walked over to where the stench of death was the strongest. The blood pouring from the creature on the ground faintly resembled his sister's but wasn't and the thing certainly didn't look like Sora. Confused Kiyoshi turned his back to the creature and sat down beside Shippou, calmly waiting for his friend to explain. Since it would appear that Shippou wasn't hurt or crying Kiyoshi assumed that this would be a strange story indeed. Once Shippou got himself under control he pulled away from Nomi though he kept his head down and in doing so hid his features from view. "Thanks, Nomi." Shippou said in a low voice as the girl moved to sit beside Kiyoshi since he would need her if something had happened to Sora. 

"We were stopped from following you by a force field." Kiyoshi explained, hesitantly putting a hand on his friend's shoulder to squeeze before withdrawing the hand. "Was Sora ever here?" 

"No but her look alike was. When I came into the clearing it was to see Ferio holding a Sora in a death hold with her bleeding all over the place..begging me to help her." Shippou said in a pained voice as he pictured it all again in his mind. "I charged forward like an idiot, determined to run the bastard through his black heart and then..and then I looked into Sora's eyes and knew it wasn't her. It was her face, her form, her eyes but what was in them..what was in them wasn't Sora." 

"The monster that slaughtered the Lord of the East two months ago. That took on the form of his dead son to confuse his father into coming to him with the minimum of protection and caution. Witnesses said that there was no differences between the real son and the monster, that it spoke, even smelled like the son. His own mother watching from behind her husband thought it was her son until the boy decapitated her husband in front of her before going on a killing spree with the lord's warriors hesitating to kill the boy they'd thought their future Lord and master." Nomi said quietly as she recalled the stories they'd been hearing in the last year. "A creature that takes on the form of loved ones in order to infiltrate a holding or assassinate an individual. After all who would be suspicious of a wife, father or child?" 

"So the beast took on the form of Sora and created the illusion of Ferio." Kiyoshi said as he filled in the remaining gaps. "When Shippou would have tried to kill the illusion the real monster would have had its chance to kill Shippou unaware." 

) 

"I thought I'd killed her...for a split second when she was kneeling there, my blade through her chest as she cried out to me I thought it was her..that I'd been wrong and I'd killed her..that I'd KILLED her." Shippou finally said, his voice going hoarse and tight with barely contained emotion as he tried to rein it all in. "And even when I knew..watching her die in front of me..before it changed into that..that thing. God damn it..I'd sooner be slowly sliced to pieces then ever see that again." Shippou said as his clenched fists began to leak blood from his nails digging into his palms. 

"Yet you knew it wasn't her..." Nomi pointed out wisely as she took Kiyoshi's hand in hers, her tears rolling down her cheeks as she cried for Shippou who wouldn't allow himself to. 

"Yeah...Sora would never beg me for help..she'd be more likely to yell at me for not getting there sooner or being slow about it." Shippou said with a half laugh, half held in sob. "And if I ran her through..you can bet she'd try even with her dying breath to return the favor." 

"That she would." Kiyoshi said with a small smile as he reached out to pat his friend on the shoulder again before standing up, not wanting to dwell in this place any longer then necessary. There was something about it that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "Now let's go back." 

"I think I'm gonna stay here for a few more minutes.. You two go ahead and I'll be there shortly." Shippou said looking up slightly to convey to Kiyoshi without words that he needed to be left alone for a bit. Understanding Nomi grabbed Kiyoshi's hand and began tugging his away and soon the two were into the darkness of the forest leaving their friend behind to his solitary solitude. 


	17. Stories From The Future

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot lines displayed here. Everything else belongs to some other lucky bastards. Anyway hope you enjoy these mini stories and please review cause I really, really want to hear from ya. 

Stories From The Future 

"Hi, I'm Kyou and I'm Inu yasha and Kagome's youngest son but you already knew that cause after all who could forget me? Now you've already read a fair bit about us but there are some obvious gapping holes and things that you're likely curious about or that confuse you. Since we can't tell you all the things you need to know with flashbacks to the future I'm going to tell you, the readers, about them. Now remember only you the readers and the people from the future know these stories so in future chapters those in the past will be oblivious and unaware of the stories I'm about to tell you. I'm sure you want to know how it is that my mom, Aunt Sango, Rin, Uncle Miroku and his wife came to have special powers and the life span of demons along with forming alliances with water demons. Plus I'm sure you're also eager to hear about the first meeting between Mika and Ren and other stories like that. So here are some quick looks back into my past and a little before that in some cases. Enjoy!" 

How My Family Came to Have Water Demon Blood 

"Well this story takes place way before I was born and even before my oldest sister Hotaru was born though Shippou was around of course. Actually my mom was pregnant with Hotaru at the time and Aunt Sango was pregnant with Kohaku only she didn't know it yet. Anyway it was a sunny day and Shippou and Rin were both young teenagers in human years. They'd gone for a walk and they'd gotten a bit turned around when Shippou smelled something weird and wanted to go investigate. So Rin went with him and hiding in the bushes they saw about ten men or so taking a rest by a stream and they had this big box in the water so that half the box was under water. The strange smell was coming from the box and so they moved closer and to their shock they saw a small tanned hand come through the bars on the one side of the box to trail along the water. Well of course Rin and Shippou were outraged at this cause they figured these cruel men had stuck this poor kid in this crate and then had added insult to the injury by placing it in the water. So soon enough they'd devised a plan for Shippou to distract the men while Rin used Shippou's dagger to break the kid out of the crate. So Shippou transformed into this huge pink blob and went about causing havoc while Rin went over to free the kid but one of the men noticed and raised the alarm. Shippou turned back into himself and tried to hold them off without his dagger and luckily Aunt Sango and Mom had come looking for them with their husbands in tow and soon the men were unconscious men." 

"So then my dad opened up the crate and the kid gets out but he's one of the weirdest looking and smelling kids my dad said he'd ever seen. His name was Mikos and he was a water demon and this was the first time anyone in my family had ever seen a water demon because they live in the ocean and never come to land, ever. Apparently Mikos had gotten curious though and come too close to the surface during a storm. He was thrown my the waves into a rock and knocked unconscious, when he woke up he was in the crate and on his way to be given to the head of their village since it's believed that drinking the blood of a water demon can give you immortality. It's not true but people are stupid that way. So anyway he needed to go back to the ocean and since it was a long trip and Rin and Shippou insisted on going everyone had to go including Uncle Miroku and his wife Kira who's a demon slayer just like Aunt Sango. So they get to the water and this dolphin comes out of nowhere and Mikos sends the dolphin to tell his parents to come because he wants his parents to meet his saviors. So it turns out that Mikos is like a prince and his parents royalty so anyway this huge procession of water demons rises from the water including all thirty of Mikos's sisters, apparently guys are rare in the royal line poor guy. Anyway the royal family all comes forward with like two dozen armed soldiers and they're really grateful to the family for everything that they'd done and wants to repay them. Well since Shippou and Rin were the real heroes they were the ones who got to do the asking and they'd decided that they wanted to make the human members of their family have the life span of a demon since Mikos said that there was a way. Well they were sort of hesitant to do that but in the end they agreed because in order to do that a water demon would have to give the person a part of their life span, hence shortening the water demon's life span while lengthening the human's. The king asked for volunteers and members of Mikos's family and one of the young guards offered to do the ritual. Of course we didn't know we'd be shortening their lives by doing it but by the time they chose to inform us it was too late and since water demons life five times longer then most demons anyway they said it was no big deal. Anyway so my mom, Aunt Sango, Uncle Miroku, Aunt Kira and Rin were made part water demon through the transfer of blood and power, they still have the cuts on their hands from the transfusion for that matter. The weird thing was that Andrea was the one who fused with my mom and her older sister Keely fused with my Aunt Sango which ironically enough means Keely was fused with Kohaku too, the man she would marry after he grew up a bit. The fact that Keely was several centuries older didn't bother him too much I guess. And to make things that much weirder Rin fused with the young guard named Triton who would be her husband in the future too. Mom says that Triton fell in love with Rin on sight and that's why he volunteered to fuse with her. He didn't want anyone else having that kind of bond with her but him. Course my mom's a sucker for romance so who knows. Especially since Triton's harder to read then Uncle Sesshoumaru. Everyone figured the ways things were going Andrea would end up married to Wufei but she didn't of course. So anyway that's how we got water demon blood flowing through our veins thanks to our moms. So that means we have superior mental abilities to varying degrees and how I sent Fox's men flying through the air. Anyway on to the next story!" 

) 

How Uncle Sesshomaru and Aunt Sango Originally Got Together before The Rat Bastard Ferio Screwed Everything UP! 

"Long title huh? Sorry about that but that was the shortest one I could come up with even after leaving out all the four letter words I wanted to put in it. So anyway back to things it's pretty obvious that my aunt and uncle got together but of course you the readers would have no idea how. Especially since that rat bastard went and screwed up everything in the past to begin with! You see things really got messed up so everything that was suppose to happen either didn't happen or was horribly messed up. What was suppose to happen was when Uncle Sesshoumaru was fighting my dad was that they were suppose to fight for a while gaining a variety of wounds but nothing lethal as usual and then they were suppose to stop because Jakken was suppose to come carrying an unconscious Rin who had been bitten by a snake. So then the fight was called off and since Rin was human and there was nothing he could do Uncle Sesshoumaru had no choice but to let my mom take over taking care of Rin since she had medicine for snake bites that weren't stupid home remedies. When Rin was better Uncle Sesshoumaru picked her up and left without even so much as a thank you and that pissed off Aunt Sango who went after him to yell at him and then THAT'S when the witch was to show up and chain them together and take Rin in the process. So of course Uncle Sesshoumaru wanted to go after the witch and when Aunt Sango said that they should get the others Uncle Sesshoumaru knocked her out, slugged her over his shoulder and took after Rin. Apparently over the trip to get Rin back Aunt Sango forgave him for the whole knocking her unconscious and of course they got Rin back who was really happy to see them obviously. So of course they killed the wicked bitchy witchy but they were still stuck together even after the witch was dead which was not a good thing in Uncle Sesshoumaru's opinion. So anyway then they were stuck between a rock and a hard place because it was obvious that Uncle Sesshoumaru couldn't stand to spend minutes much less days with my dad so it wasn't like Aunt Sango could go back to them with Uncle Sesshoumaru, Jakken and Rin in tow. So she was basically stuck with him and so she ended up spending three more months chained to him while everyone went out of their mind with worry thinking the worst since they knew the situation." 

"Anyway after the three months added to the time searching for Rin my aunt and uncle were getting pretty use to being stuck together and you could say it finally hit them that they liked being together. Plus you can bet your ass Rin was encouraging them to the best of her ability since my cousin is a pretty smart lady. Meanwhile my dad finally thinks of the one person that might be able to free them and so he and everyone go off to search for the sword smith who forged the swords from my grandfather's fangs. So they finally find the guy and then they drag him all over the countryside to finally find my uncle and aunt. Well by the time they found them love was in the air but they were still happy to be separated because there is such a thing as being too close plus can you imagine trying to get dressed and undress with one hand literally chained to someone else? So anyway they go their separate ways but they miss each other and so much to the shock of my parents and her friends Aunt Sango left the group to go find Uncle Sesshoumaru who was looking for her too. Well then they find each other finally and Aunt Sango asks if she could be allowed to travel with him again since Rin needed a female around and because she loved the girl, not admitting her feelings for him because she's a woman and women never do things the easy way. So then Uncle Sesshoumaru says she can since Jakken is always bitching about watching Rin and the two go for like a half a year like that pretending that they didn't have feelings for each other but Rin finally got sick of it and told Uncle Sesshoumaru that if he didn't hurry up and tell Aunt Sango that he loved her Aunt Sango would leave him when Rin was all grown up which was enough to have him asking her to marry him or to be accurate to be his mate which is the same thing. Well Aunt Sango wasn't an idiot and knew that getting Uncle Sesshoumaru to say the L word would be harder then getting Uncle Miroku to stop hitting on girls so she accepted and told him that she loved him. My sister Mika always said she should have gotten him to admit that he loved her before she agreed to hook up with him permanently but Aunt Sango said that him asking a human to be his mate was the biggest declaration of love Uncle Sesshoumaru could ever give. Come to think of it I don't know if he ever did admit it..hey, Uncle Sesshoumaru have you ever told Aunt Sango that you love her?" 

"............." (death glare) 

"Uhmmm....We'll just believe the best of him and take that as a yes. So on to the next story okay?" sweat drop 

) 

When Ren met Mika 

"Now everyone knows those two fight like cats and dogs or in this case water dogs and wolves but many don't know the full reason why. Well since Ren is Manta's son it's obvious that things were bound to be bumpy but they might have been friends if not for their first real introduction to each other. You see Ren is like ten years or so older then Mika and so they didn't really play together or anything and whenever Mika was in the wolf's dens Manta kept his son as far away from our tainted blood as possible which of course wasn't a good start either. Mika was about thirteen when they first really talked to each other and it was a very brief conversation since they were facing off to fight not chat. You see this was towards the end of the War of the Wolves as it's sometimes called and my whole family had come to this huge meeting to discuss battle strategy. Unfortunately Manta the moron as we like to call him had a problem with Kouga's proposal to accept our family's help in dealing with the wolf packs that had been coming in trying to take over the area from the wolf demons living there already and everyone else in that area. So Manta went into one of his speeches about it being a war between wolves and us having no place in it. Now had he kept it there things would have been fine but unfortunately he took it a step further calling our family unflattering names and making jabs about the fact that we were tainted with human blood. Now this was the height of stupidity since Uncle Sesshoumaru AND my dad were both in attendance and if Uncle Kouga hadn't restrained my dad odds are Manta would have been quite dead. Since my mother and Mika were set on us getting involved to help out and my uncle lives for anything he can do to make Manta's life that much more miserable Uncle Sesshoumaru hit Manta where it hurt. The idiot's gigantic ego and pride. Since the key to Manta's argument was that we were weak and tainted demons who would only be in the way Uncle Sesshoumaru proposed that they would just see about that. He proposed a fight between Manta's firstborn and one of Inu yasha's only quarter demon children just to add insult to the injury everyone thought. Actually it's because of all the children Mika is the meanest but that's beside the point. So after a fair bit of arguing the fight was set and Mika was brought in to take on Manta's pride and joy." 

"So anyway there was a big crowd and everyone was giving my dad the what kind of a father are you look and he was giving them his my little girl could kick all your asses look. In comes Kohaku with Mika who's dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt with her hair in braided pigtails looking about as threatening as a newborn kitten. Big mistake obviously. So they go to this clearing and Mika's on one side and Ren comes out on the other side and he really doesn't want to do this cause she's just a kid and a girl at that. So they come over to shake hands and Ren's apologizing and Mika's trying to comfort him over it when he pulls one of his father's moves and says he couldn't understand what her idiot half breed father was thinking letting her compete, that she wasn't even half demon and wouldn't stand a chance even all grown up. Now Mika would have probably let her demon heritage thing go since it wasn't said to be mean but the thing about Mika is she is the Queen of the Daddy's little girls. No one but no one insults our dad in her hearing rang and walks away on their own steam. So there she is with eyes flashing and steam practically coming out her ears when the idiot up and tells Mika to take a free punch, that it's the least he could do. Well Mika can win under the worst of circumstances so you can imagine her face when she's told she's getting a free punch. Now most people would be grateful or mildly pissed off but Mika was furious and so she smiled sweetly, drew back her fist and plowed it into his head sending him flying and well Ren wasn't given the chance to get back up since he was knocked out as soon as the fist connected to his head. Needless to say our family was asked to help with the war and Manta hated us a great deal more then he did before which was a lot to begin with. From that day on Ren and Mika became the best of enemies and they now consider the other their property if you can believe that. No one is allowed to hurt Ren but Mika and no one is allowed to hurt Mika but Ren. It's a really messed up relationship and it's always interesting to watch let me tell you. Since that fight they're always making the effort to meet up and it always ends the same way with them bruised and battered with someone or something calling an end to the fight before a winner can be declared. In other words it still stands that Mika is the stronger of the two even though that's not necessarily true since Ren is known as the strongest warrior in his area other then Mina but you haven't met her yet. Hopefully you will shortly though if you keep reading this fic. Anyway they're constantly giving Uncle Kouga headaches since they're both his godchildren but they've both promised that they'll have Uncle Sesshoumaru resurrect the one who finally dies in their endless fight for supremacy." 

) 

Closing Remarks 

"Well I need to get going since I promised to play cards with my nieces and nephews so it's time for me to say good bye. Anyway before I go I just wanted to let you know that if you have any questions or want to know anything about my family just put it in with your review of this fic and then maybe I can come back some chapter to explain things. Knowing what's coming I know there should be some stuff you want to know more about like Mina so if ya do please let her know! Anyway hope you're enjoying your day and this fic and that you'll review. So ciao for now and hope I'll have the chance to see ya again!" 


	18. Story Time

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot lines. Everything else belongs to someone else obviously lol. Hope you enjoy and please review with your opinions and ideas cause I love to hear from you, the readers. Have a great day and enjoy. 

Story Time 

"Are you sure we shouldn't go looking for them, Kagome? I mean odds are he would kill her now before he uh..hell I just don't get it. How the hell could Sango end up married to my brother of all people?" Inu yasha said with a huff as he sat on a log with the rest of them outside the holding where they were bedding down for the night. "I mean really..what's there to like and she's a demon slayer for Christ sakes. She kills guys like him for a living!" 

"Well I guess it was just one of those cases where it was just meant to be." Kagome said weakly, not at all sure what to think either. It had been quite obvious that Sango was Sora's mother and Sesshoumau's wife..it was more just trying to wrap her head around it which was easier said then done. 

"Yeah, it's hard to think of the Ice King as a father much less one in love with a human." Kouga had to agree as he nibbled on something called Pocky Kagome had given him. "Then again the whole future looks pretty screwed to me. I have a feeling my godchildren are going to be one hell of a handful. How did Mika come to be my goddaughter anyway? What is a goddaughter for that matter? Like an honorary member of my family?" 

"Well basically it's like making you her second father, Kouga. We do it in my world so that if something happens to the parents and there's no other family the child has someone to take care of them and see to it that they're raised in a loving family." Kagome said with a hesitant smile, not sure how she'd convinced Inu yasha to let Kouga have such a role. "Plus the godparent helps raise the child and look after it, sort of like an extra guardian if the situation calls for it. Understand?" Kagome asked and when Kouga nodded Kagome shrugged. "As for how that's beyond me." 

) 

"But not beyond me." Kyou said with a grin as all the adults turned their attention to him. "You see what happened was there was this big fight and Dad got really badly wounded during it. He and Uncle Kouga got separated from the rest of the group and were in a pretty bad fix and Dad told Uncle Kouga that if he could get them out of it alive he'd name his next kid after him. Anyway they got out and the next kid was Mika so obviously they couldn't name a girl Kouga so Mom came up with the idea of making him her godfather instead and not quite understanding the whole godfather thing Dad agreed. Of course Uncle Kouga was our uncle already anyway but..opps." 

"What do you mean he was already your uncle?" Kagome said with a confused look on her face. "It's not like he could have married Sota or Sesshoumaru." 

"Who's Sota?" Kouga asked with an equally confused look on his face that turned to a look of extreme insult. "And of course I wouldn't have made Sesshoumaru my mate..HE'S A MALE!" 

"Uhm Uncle Sota is mom's younger brother." Kyou said in a small voice before looking over at Sora and Andrea for help but both simply gave him hard looks that said he was on his own. "And of course Uncle Kouga didn't marry either of them..he's mate's name in Mina." 

"Mina..there is no female in my pack by that name." Kouga said with a frown as he mentally went through the names of all the females that had been presented to him as a possible mate over the years. "Where is she from? Who's pack?" 

"Uhmm..my mom's time..sort of." Kyou said weakly and realizing he was sunk and couldn't exactly side step the questions figured he might as well explain things better before they really started interrogating him on this. "Mina lived in my mom's world but she isn't exactly human either. She's what they call a vampire there but they don't have...people like her here. Mina's kinda mom's step sister." 

"I have a step sister who's a vampire?" Kagome demanded to know looking both shocked and overwhelmed at the same time. The only logical explanation was that her mother had remarried but how could that be? And how could there be real vampires living in her world and really why should that surprise her? Until she'd fallen down the stupid well she hadn't believe in demons either and now look at her. "How can that be?" 

"Well you see Grandma met a man named Jack who was in the area on business around the time Wufei was born and anyway they got a talking and stuff, eventually started dating and getting together whenever he was in town. You see Jack and his daughter are both Master vampires and had been alive for hundreds of years but grandma didn't know that of course and he didn't tell her because he thought that she wouldn't believe him or if she did that she'd never see him again. You see he loved Mina's mom very much too but she was very religious and refused to allow him to make her a vampire, she died in childbirth with Jack raising Mina alone. Anyway one night mom had come home and brought dad with her and so mom goes to her room to get something and dad goes looking for grandma to let her know that they were there. Anyway he smells Jack and goes racing to grandma's rescue and of course Jack smells something different with dad so they're both facing off, both trying to protect grandma. Anyway mom and grandma settle them down and the whole thing comes out eventually. So then anyway things progress and grandma marries Jack and so Aunt Mina becomes Aunt Mina." 

) 

"My mother is going to marry a vampire!" Kagome said looking perilously close to fainting in shock. "And my step sister is going to marry Kouga? How the hell does that happen?" 

"Mom..you swore." Kyou said with his mouth hanging open in surprise. It was very rare for his mother to raise her voice much less swear unless she was fighting with his dad or really upset about something. "You have to put fifty yen into the cookie jar." 

"What are you talking about?" Inu yasha asked with a puzzled look on his face though he was taking this much better then his mate was. Then again he had no idea what a vampire was or why Kagome was getting so riled up about it. "Isn't yen some sort of currency?" 

"Yeah well you see the cookie jar yen thing was mom's way of making us mind our language." Kyou explained with a sheepish look. "Every time one of us said a bad word we had to put fifty yen into this cookie jar..as kids that was a sure way of making us watch what we said that's for sure. We had so much money in that jar we took the whole family out to dinner and still had change left." 

"So what exactly is a vampire? Like a demon?" Kouga demanded to know, thoroughly confused and a little worried over the fact that Kagome seemed so upset about the idea. What kind of person had he taken as his mate? A much older then him mate, Kouga realized with a hint of a frown. 

"Allow me since mom would just know the movie vampire and not what they really are." Kyou said as he held up his hand to speak before his mother could answer Kouga. "Vampires look a lot like humans only they're a lot stronger and have a life span that far exceeds a demon's if they're Master vampires. Master vampires are those vampires who are born with the blood of the ancient vampires in their blood, who can trace their lineage back several centuries of vampire ancestors like Mina and Jack can. Regular vampires are those who are made vampires and are easy enough to kill and are significantly weaker. Master vampires can live forever because they can simply heal themselves though there was once a way to kill them..but the people who figured that out didn't have the sense to keep their discovery to themselves and ended up going the way of the dodo-uhm extinct-dead." Kyou said when several of the others gave him confused looks. "So anyway the only known way for a Master vampire to die is through choice. They can choose not to heal themselves and then they die from their wounds as any normal human being would." 

) 

"Do they bite people's necks and drink their blood like in the movies?" Kagome wanted to know, her words drawing horrified looks from Kouga, Shippou, Miroku, Rin and Inu yasha. "And do they only come out at night?" 

"No that whole only come out at night thing is an old wives tale. They are more powerful at night and they prefer that time to hunt but they can sit out on a beach and tan if they want without a problem. As for the whole blood thing well..uhm..they don't have to drink blood but it helps them heal faster and age more slowly. It also makes them stronger too but don't worry, Grandpa and Aunt Mina don't just go around biting people, in fact Grandpa gave it up for grandma because she didn't like the idea." Kyou said as he sought to reassure his mom who was looking decidedly ill. "And really it's not so bad and they both always made it a policy to only take blood from those who deserved to lose it..unless it's a show of affection." 

"A show of affection?" Miroku said with a look of disbelief having a hard time wrapping this all around in his head. "Sucking the blood out of someone is their way of showing affection in her culture?" 

"Well it depends on the circumstances." Kyou said desperately, feeling the quick sand pulling him deeper and deeper and neither Sora nor Andrea were making any effort to pull him out. "If it's just a matter of feeding or needing the blood to recover then Aunt Mina will just hunt down someone who deserves it but she also occasionally bites Uncle Kouga as a show of affection and you really don't mind..I don't think." Kyou said with a look on his face similar to someone being interrogated and backed into a serious corner. "Really..Aunt Mina's a great person..so maybe some people compare her to Uncle Sesshoumaru but aside from that she's been really good for the pack. Ginta even says that demons have stopped attacking the pack because they're afraid of what Aunt Mina would do to them if they tried." 

"A female Sesshoumaru? Now that's a scary thought. Why the hell didn't he marry her instead then?" Inu yasha said as he shook his head finding this whole thing confusing and interesting at the same time. "Then again that's a scary thought considering what the pups would be like." 

"Well Uncle Sesshoumaru was already married when grandpa and Aunt Mina came into the picture. Besides they get along relatively well but it's not like they're close friends or anything, Dad. Aunt Mina's more of a loner to begin with for that matter." Kyou explained as he absently wiggled his fingers, giving away his nerves to those who knew him easily enough. "And she's just protective of what belongs to her..that's all." 

) 

"And meaner then a wounded animal when you piss her off." Sora muttered under her breath so those with demons ears could easily hear her. 

"So exactly how did my..step sister end up married to Kouga?" Kagome demanded to know getting more confused and worried by the minute. "I mean I'd have to be nuts to bring her here and it's not like I'd ever take Kouga to my world. He'd stick out even more then Inu yasha!" 

"Well you did bring her here but for a very good reason." Sora said, finally taking pity on her cousin, at least for the time being. "During the Wolf Wars Kouga's pack plus those packs joined with his were being killed everyday and Manta would only allow my father to revive the fallen, not for any of us to help in the fight even though they would have easily won with our help. You see with Kouga's pack and several other packs in need of members and land they came together in a sort of council with each of the pack leaders being a part of it to form one huge pack under the rule of the council. Manta had a lot of supporters then, a lot more then Kouga did and so Manta's word was pretty much law at that time even though it was obvious he was in the wrong. His pack was the strongest and with the most connections so basically they were doomed by his refusal to allow outsiders to help. The wolf demons from the north who were doing the attacking soon realized what father was doing so they'd taken to taking the fallen wolves bodies with them and destroy the corpses so that they couldn't be revived and things were looking pretty grim. Then Aunt Kagome hit on the idea that maybe there was a way to save them by introducing someone to the mix that Manta didn't know but was strong and able enough to take out the enemy. In other words she thought of Mina." 

"Wolf Wars..wolves from the north are going to come from their territories in the great mountains and come after our lands and people?" Kouga asked, horrified at the thought. The wolf demons of the north were legendary beasts and were said to be bigger, faster and stronger then any other demon pack. There were unstoppable and ruled their area with unbreakable defenses and extreme cruelty. 

"Yes, their lands will be destroyed and ravaged by war, They will come here because they've used up and ruined their own lands and think to take over yours and make it their own." Sora said with a shrug, understanding that anything they told them about the past could screw things up but it was a bit late for that. Everything was seriously screwed up already anyway. 

) 

"This is what she looks like." Kyou said helpfully as he passed over his sketchbook to Kouga having flipped it to a page or a prior drawing he'd done of his aunt. It was only black and white pencil drawing but it would give him the general idea. "Nice huh? Her hair is a pretty red and her eyes are green." Kyou added in case Kouga was curious. 

Taking the drawing from Kyou Kouga studied the image of the woman who was to be his mate apparently. The shot was a bust drawing so he couldn't get the whole picture but she had a stunning face. All sharp angles with a slight dent in her chin. Her eyes were almond shaped and even in the drawing conveyed an amused arrogance as she looked out at you with those knowing eyes. Her long hair was left loose and she was wearing clothes like Kagome wore from her world. She was very beautiful and Kouga was impressed that he'd have such a fine looking woman as his own. It would be worth the blood loss. Curious Kouga started flipping through the other pages and came to a stop when he came to one of himself with two boys, one under each of his arms as he carried them somewhere, both boys looking delighted with the ride while he himself looked amused and a bit exasperated. "Who are these pups?" Kouga asked as he handed the picture over to Kyou though he thought he already knew. The resemblance was there. 

"Oh those two are Pippin and Merry." Andrea said looking over Kyou's shoulder while Kyou tried to figure out if he could tell the truth or not. "They're yours. Twin little hellions who live to cause mischief and havoc. Keely even predicted that they would be and that's why Mina chose those names." 

) 

"She named them after the hobits from The Lord of the Rings trilogy?" Kagome said catching on with a shocked look that changed into a delighted laugh. Her nephews were named after fictional creatures that were the size of children and normally didn't like anything adventurous what so ever. Unless you were a Took or related to Bilbo Baggins that was. Which applied to Merry and Pippin to the letter "That is so cute." 

"What on earth is a hobbit?" Miroku wanted to know. 

"Long story, Uncle Miroku but don't worry, you'll find out eventually. It's your son Aiden's favorite movie so you'll be seeing it plenty." Kyou said with a chuckle remembering how exasperating it was to have a friend who could correctly quote whole chunks of dialogue from the series. "With Harry Potter being a close second." 

"I have a son?" Miroku asked, latching onto the casual comment, eager to learn more about his own future. "Did he follow in my foot steps?" 

"Nope though he does look like you. But actually he's afraid of girls." Andrea said with a laugh that only grew when everyone from this time period gazed at her in complete shock. The womanizing leech had produced a son that was afraid of the opposite sex? How could that be? Better hurry up and explain before they keel over in shock, Andrea thought with a small smirk. "Well it's all because of Miroku here actually. Aiden's mom spent so much time trying to make sure that he didn't end up a leech like his dad that she ended up making him afraid of girls. The only girls he can talk to without stuttering are the ones he's grown up with as family. We've all been trying for years to help but the most success we've had is that he can talk to one if he talks to the floor rather then actually look at the girl he's talking to. Soon as he makes eye contact he turned into a stammering idiot speaking his own special language no one but immediate family can understand." 

"Oh the irony." Shippou said with a laugh as he smirked at the priest who was sitting there with his mouth open. "A father that can't stop asking women to bear his children with a son who can't get near them without turning into a stuttering mess." 


	19. To The Rescue

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot lines. Everything else belongs to someone else who is not moi. Thanks to all those who have been reviewing and thanks lots. Enjoy reading and have a great day. 

To The Rescue 

Flying through the air Ren was feeling a tad sick to his stomach but refusing to admit it so he concentrated on his breathing and not throwing up which would be something Mika would never let him get away with. Of course Mika was currently asleep and laying against him, Ren thought with a considering look as he looked down at the unconscious girl who'd finally given into exhaustion and was napping while they flew through the air on their way to his home. Looking over he saw that Hotaru had also fallen asleep and as a result her mate Linc had gone to his more human secondary form instead of remaining in bird form as was their current mode of transportation. The pretty boy was currently flying through the air with Hotaru in his arms while he someone how managed to keep up with them which Ren had to give him credit for since they were going extremely fast to his way of thinking. He and Mika we're on the other bird demon who was in its true form, something he'd dug in his feet about doing until Mika pointed out that people were dying and did he want to get home before that happened or not? As she'd reminded him that while Kiyoshi had a sword that could bring people back to life they had to die first which meant all those suffering and wounded were hard up for help unless Hotaru got there to help them. In other words he was putting aside his pride and riding on the back of a FEMALE bird demon with Mika while Mika's sister and brother in law flew beside them. Boy was his dad going to flip when he heard about this, Ren thought with a grimace. Then again his father was already likely ready to kill him that a little more reason was only going to be a small drop in the pot. Feeling Mika shift in her sleep Ren looked down in time to watch her lids draw up and sleepy gold eyes look up at him questioningly. Watching color come to her cheeks Ren just barely managed to move his face out of the way as she quickly sat up, nearly smashing her skull into his chin while she was at it. Watching her sit up straight like she'd shoved a steel pole up her ass Ren had to grin. "Morning." Ren said with a wolfish smile. 

"Morning." Mika mumbled back, her cheeks red with the knowledge that not only had she fallen asleep but that she'd fallen asleep and somehow ended up cuddled against the wolf bastard Ren. God how much worse could it get. 

"You're welcome for not letting you go flying over the side to your death." Ren said downright cheerfully, his stomach forgotten at the joy of wielding this new weapon she'd given him. He'd never seen her embarrassed ever and he was definitely going to milk it for all it was worth. He was going to get something out of this trip after all. 

"Shut up. I'm not the only one that could go hurdling over the side." Mika growled as she looked at him over her shoulder, sending him her best I can and will kill you look before turning back to facing the front. 

) 

"Sleep well, Mika?" Came Linc's voice and Mika and Ren looked over to see Linc smiling at her having flown over to fly directly beside them. "I was all set to fly over to catch you when you finally fell asleep but Ren was good enough to save me the trouble and grab a hold of you. If you need us to stop we can." Linc added as he shifted his wings a little so that he could glide easier. They'd been flying for a while now and he would imagine that everyone could do with a break soon. Especially Mika and his mate who were both still drained from their encounter with Kimono blood. Hugging his mate tighter against him at the thought he reminded himself for the thousandth time that she was fine and would remain so. Still she wasn't getting out of his sight for a very long time. 

"I'll be fine." Mika said with a smile then noticing his flying put two and two together. "You can go back to flying where you were, the current from Arwen's wings are throwing you off, aren't they?" 

"Always observant." Linc said with a sweet smile then nodding his head acknowledged that since he was in his lesser form his sister's wings in her true form were making flying straight twice as hard. "Yell if you need anything." Linc added then dropping low came back up to where he was before, his flying visibly showing less strain on his wings. 

) 

"So is he any good in a fight?" Ren asked curiously having never been in contact with bird demons since they tended to live in secluded and hard to reach mountains, away from land bound demons. They were rarely spotted and Linc was the only one he'd ever met besides Arwen and she'd basically appeared to pick them up and hadn't said more then a few words to anyone. He didn't even know what she looked like in her second form. As for Linc well he got the impression of a nice guy who drew women to him like flies and who seemed to be a good guy. He'd have to be to be with Hotaru. 

"He can hold his own but fighting isn't his thing. He wasn't raised to think of warrior as a role he needed to play." Mika explained then seeing his surprised look Mika expanded. "His culture, his people have very different ideas considering gender roles. His society is a matriarchal one as oppose to a patriarchal one like ours." 

"You've lost me." Ren said, too curious to care about appearing ignorant. "What do those words mean?" 

"Oh yeah, sorry. Forgot for a minute that you wouldn't be able to spell those words much less what they meant." Mika said with a sheepish look on her face. "Basically you and I live in a society which is patriarchal, meaning that men are the leaders and they generally are the hunters, providers and such. Linc's society however is a matriarchal, meaning that the women are the leaders and the providers. In their society the men are the ones who do roles considered women's work in our society like taking care of the children and gathering food. Understand?" 

"You can't possible be serious. Women as the heads of the family?" Ren said with his mouth hanging open, the very idea mind blowing to him. How on earth could a pack survive if women were in charge? "But I don't understand how that could work. Men are stronger, tougher and smar- more knowledgeable about certain things." Ren said, catching himself before he said smarter knowing Mika was liable to hurt him if he did. "Women have the children too so wouldn't that be the indication that they should be the ones looking after the children? Are you saying that basically they turn their men into weaklings!" Ren said, looking over at Linc with a mixture of horror and pity. The poor guy! 

) 

"That's not what I'm saying at all and for your information I do have problems with some of the ideas of a matriarchal system but I also have a lot of problems with the patriarchal system too." Mika said, understanding his reaction perfectly. All the males in her family had pretty much reacted the same way while she and all the females had been too busy drooling over him to care. A gorgeous hunk he was and given that he could easily pass for Legolas from Lord of the Rings only buffer it was no wonder. And she wasn't exaggerating. Same long pale gold hair, beautiful forest green eyes and even the pointy ears. If Hotaru hadn't snagged him she had to admit she herself would have been tempted to make a pass at the guy. Plus the guy had wings, I mean how hot was that? Okay so a bit hard to explain to others but they gave him the whole fallen angel look thing with the white wings with gold threaded through them. Who really cared what anyone else thought if you got a guy like that? But it wasn't his looks they were discussing so Mika forced herself back to the matter at hand reluctantly. "And really I admire Linc a lot for the person he is. Maybe he's not as strong or as bad ass as most males in this time but he's great with his kids, doesn't mind cooking and isn't too manly to show affectionate or roll around on the grass with his kids. He worships the ground my sister walks on and there isn't anything he wouldn't do for her or their children. You ask me he's a real prize even if he needs to be a bit meaner so we don't all have to keep saving him from girls trying to flirt with him. He knows what they're doing but he's just too damn nice to tell them to get lost." Mika said with a sigh as she rolled her eyes. "And Hotaru's too nice to tell them to get the hell away from her man. You can see the problem." 

Feeling a stab of something uncomfortable close to jealousy at the admiration in Mika's voice Ren reined in the various unflattering comments that came to mind. Keeping quiet they continued to fly in quiet until a scent reached their noses that had them all snapping to attention. "Blood..and a lot of it." Ren muttered, inhaling the scent and recognizing some of it as being wolf's. "Damn it." 

) 

Meanwhile 

Running through the woods at break neck speed Kouga only had two thoughts running through his mind. His children were missing and that a large band of Ferio's men were coming this way, possibly with his sons in the way. His heart on his throat Kouga forced himself to concentrate on moving as fast as he could, forcing himself to block out all the terrible images of what kind of situation his twins could have found themselves in. They were just six year old pups, they'd likely try to stop the band themselves without a thought ti their own safety, Kouga thought, fear jumping into his eyes. His boys were fearless and had yet to run in fear of anything no matter what that something was. Please let them be okay so that he could tan their hides for running off again. Looking over he glanced at his mate who was keeping time at his side, her face giving away nothing but then it wouldn't. She would never allow her weakness to show and he knew that later she'd curl up in his arms with relief as she had before that the little monsters were okay. This would be like all the other times, Kouga chanted in his head though there was a feeling in his gut that told him that wasn't so. Smelling blood in the air Kouga felt the air leave his lungs but there was no scent of his sons and that brought the air back into his gasping lungs. There was still time to get there. 

"I smell Nomi's blood." Shippou called out, him and Kiyoshi right beside Kouga and Mina so that they were four none humans running nearly soundless through the forest, their goal to find Merry and Pippin. 

"I know." Kiyoshi said quietly, his golden eyes hardening to hide the fear running through his veins. He'd seen Nomi a few hours ago, alive and well and on her way in this direction to monitor the area for signs of a continuation of attacks on the wolves. Now he smelled her blood and knew that he had failed her as he had once before when Manta and his wolves had come for her. He hadn't been there to protect her and he wasn't with her now. 

) 

"She's not spilling death blood. She's alive." Mina called out, her breath not even labored as she kept up with the demons without trouble. She too had smelt the blood and recognized it but had hoped that the others noses weren't strong enough to pick it up from the other blood already spilt. She should have known better. Her boys were with Nomi as well. She couldn't say how she knew, only a mother's instinct and the knowledge only made her go that much faster. If anyone had laid so much as a hand on one of her babies then she'd suck them dry of their blood while they were still alive and breathing. She'd do it slowly too. 

"They're in the valley." Kiyoshi called out, using what water demon blood their was in his system along with his nose to help him pinpoint where abouts they needed to go. "We'll need to be careful about getting down." 

"You boys can take the long way. I'm going straight down." Mina called out as they broke out of the wooded area and onto the sheer cliffs above the valley below. Ignoring her mate's command to stop Mina ran straight forward and off the cliff, head first like a diver with her hands pointed forward to make her go faster. When she was twenty meters away from impact Mina flipped around so that she was feet first, landing on her feet like a cat with nearly every bone breaking in her legs on impact. Falling forward with her hands there to catch her Mina grinched her teeth as she waited the precious thirty seconds for them to heal completely then took off running again, pulling her samurai blade from the sheath strapped on to her back as she ran straight towards her target. Her long waist length hair blowing in the breeze in a high ponytail she looked younger then her several centuries with her clothing very twentieth century as she was dressed in a tight black T-shirt, black slacks and an ankle length black leather jacket. Just because she'd ended up living in the Feudal Era didn't man she had to dress like one and she wouldn't be caught dead wearing animal pelts. In other words wolf demon fashion was definitely out. Taking in the scene quickly Mina identified the three areas of importance. Her twins were safely up in the air in Nomi's feather with no injuries that were causing blood loss anyway. Two that Nomi was on the ground trying to keep the demons from getting past her and to the boys. Lastly that there were several fire demons who's blood was wonderfully spicy. Getting closer Mina say that Nomi was holding on by threads and was barely keeping things contained. Hearing howling from behind Mina turned to see her husband, Kiyoshi and Shippou all in their true forms coming up quickly with snarls and furious looks. Turning back to the demons Mina saw that they were backing up and looking just a little afraid. Well when she was done with them they wouldn't be feeling anything at all. 

) 

Minutes later the ground was littered with the dead and Mina stood with a son clinging to either of her leg as their father and Shippou finished off those demons that were left. Kiyoshi was only a few steps away with Nomi in his lap, the girl's eyes closed and unconscious but alive. The wounds were already beginning to heal but Mina didn't think she could convince her nephew of that any time soon. Looking down at her boys Mika forced herself to narrow her eyes. She'd already hugged and kissed them several times so now it was time for them to get what was coming to them. "And what do you two have to say for yourselves?" 

"Uhmm, we're very sorry and we love you lots and lots, Mommy?" Pippin answered with his most angelic look that died quickly at the look in his mother's eyes. Boy were they ever in trouble. "And uhm that we'll never do it again?" 

"Now where have I heard that one before?" Mina said as she fought to keep a tough face when all she wanted to do was cuddle them close. "Now hear this and hear it well. When Ginta gets here you are going to get on your hands and knees and you are going to beg his forgiveness for running off on him again. Next when your father gets here you are going to hug him for all you're worth and you are going to stay by his side as much as possible when he's not away from the house because you scared at least twenty years off his life and his life span isn't that much to begin with. Then you're going to both have to do all your siblings chores for the next two week and when you go to grandma's house this week I'm going to tell her that you don't have nintendo or tv privileges. Any whining will result in harsher punishment so don't even think about pushing it. Got it?" 

"Yes, ma'am." The twins said as they both gave her their best traumatized and sorry looks to no avail. No surprise since in general dad was the only one who fell for it after the first time. "But we are okay, Mommy." Merry pointed out as he tugged on her jacket. "We didn't even get a scratch!" 

"Because Nomi got the scratches for you." Mina pointed out and both of the twins looked over at one of their favorite adults and bowed their heads in shame. Nomi had been in the area anyway but she hadn't gone up into the feather with them because she needed to be able to hold them off until help came. She'd been hurt too badly to make the feather fly, only hover. 

"She's going to be okay though...right?" Pippin asked hesitantly, his big brown eyes filling up with tears, as were his twin's. "Kiyoshi can make her all better and if not Hotaru or Uncle Sessy can right?" 

"Right but that's beside the point." Mina said seeing that they weren't quite getting it. 

) 

"That's why we weren't worried, Mommy." Merry chipped in, brightening as he hit on the perfect point to make that would make his mommy see things from their point of view and let them have TV and nintendo privileges back at least. "Cause even if we did die Kiyoshi could bring us back or Uncle Sessy if he couldn't." 

"Yes but as you little geniuses will recall Kiyoshi and Sesshoumaru need your body in order to bring you back to life. If they had killed you and taken your bodies or burned them there would have been nothing we could have done and you'd be dead." Mina pointed out as she gave them a hard look. "And then you'd never be able to play nintendo again and you would have made your father cry." 

"We never thought of that." Pippin said as he and Merry looked appropriately shook for the first time since their mother had got a hold of them. 

"Well that's obvious." Was their mother's dry reply. 

"MERRY! PIPPIN!" 

"DADDY!" The twins yelled and letting go of their mother they both ran over to their father and threw themselves into his waiting arms to be crushed against him in a tight hug, their father cuddling them close as he alternated between yelling at them and telling them he loved them. Smiling at the scene Mina decided to leave them to it before she started crying and totally ruined her reputation. Heading towards the carnage she decided to have a late lunch. 


	20. Mama's Boy

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot. Everything else belongs to someone else and not me (tears up then sucks it up) anyway I hope you enjoy this latest chapter and please review. Thankies. 

Mama's Boy 

"So what else can you tell me about this future? Did you see our fates, Tomoyo?" Treyz asked his mate as he carried her to their chambers. She was weak from havomg used so much of her energy to project the images that had shown a truly confusing future and wasn't steady on her feet. 

"No, the girl's thoughts were not on us and therefore none of the memories she might have concerning us were presented to me." Tomoyo said with a shake of her head, wishing that she could have been granted such thoughts. She had longed for children for so long but had yet to be blessed even once. It would have eased her mind either way to know whether her dreams of children would remain dreams or become a reality. "But I saw enough to know that you should ally yourself to Sesshoumaru sama now, as soon as possible. In the future he will be such a force that the gods themselves will view him with respect and even fear. With such an ally we would have few demons willing to be our enemies." 

"How is it that he will be so powerful? True it would appear that his children and kin are strong but the same can be said for other demon households not to mention packs. When you get right down to it I don't see how Sesshoumaru sama could have taken a human mate." Treyz said with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "The lord hates them with such passion." 

"True that is what he says but it is his excuse and his justification. In his heart he knows he hates them because otherwise he'd have to admit that it's his father he truly hates. He cannot bring himself to do that and so he lays the blame on Inu yasha's mother, on humans in general. But would someone that hates humans truly take on a human child, least of all a female one? No." Tomoyo said with a shake oh her head. "He loves that little girl with all his heart, my love and views her as his pup. He has a good heart only buried now beneath his personal demons and painful memories. As his heart will fill with love so will it fill with power and purpose. To protect the ones he cares about he will become a demon of legend. Everyone, human and demon alike will know his name." 

) 

"Then it's a good thing we've always remained on reasonably good terms." Treyz said thoughtfully, sliding the door open before walking in to deposit Tomoyo in her favorite chair before taking a seat beside her. "His kin were quite amazing though. Those sons of his look just like him." 

"Yes they do." Tomoyo said with her head slightly down. She knew her mate wanted pups just as much as she did and she wished that she could give them to him. "Both female and male." 

"That Mika looks like quite the handful." Treyz agreed, chuckling slightly under his breath. Unlike most other demons he'd always based his opinion of someone on themselves rather then their species. He had as much disgust for a weak demon as he did for a weak human. Race meant little to him though he didn't know how he'd feel if a child of his ever got it into his or her head to mate with a human. He'd like to think he'd be somewhat open minded. Then again the life of a half breed was never an easy one and that would concern him. Then again in the future perhaps that changed given that no one in their right mind would want to offend Sesshoumaru sama by looking down at his children because of their mixed blood. And how ironic would that be. The so called self proclaimed human hater bringing about an era where judging someone by their blood was unacceptable. "Did you learn anything about the strange smelling demon that traveled with them? The one that smells like the sea?" 

"She is related to Sesshoumaru sama through mate ties. Her older sister is the mate of Sesshoumaru sama's oldest son." Tomoyo said carefully, holding back the information that she was also a water demon, a race many considered a simple myth. There were those in this holding tonight who would do that girl harm if they knew what she was though and so Tomoyo decided not to risk even saying the words out loud. "As well she's quite close to Inu yasha's youngest son as well as being very powerful." 

"I've never smelled or seen a demon like her for that matter. Perhaps she's some sort of sprite instead." Treyz said thoughtfully, assuming his mate didn't know when she didn't correct him or agree. "I'll inquire tomorrow as to what exactly she is." 

"One of Sesshoumaru sama's greatest advantages is his many alliances with powerful demons. The wind user and a creature known as Mina in particular will be great threats." Tomoyo said quietly, thinking to distract him. "As well I get the feeling that the young girl who is with Sesshoumaru sama right now..Rin I think..she will be a powerful sorceress in time." Tomoyo was about to continue when there was a loud knock on the door. "Who could that be?" Tomoyo said with a questioning look towards her mate. 

"I don't know. Enter." Treyz said as his hand shifted to rest on the hilt of his sword that he had yet to remove. 

) 

The door slowly opened to reveal Andrea, wrapped up in a large cloak with Kyou in the background though he had his back to them and appeared to simply be lounging there. Andrea alone walked in, coming within hearing distance before she bowed low. "I apologize for disturbing you but as we are leaving early tomorrow I wanted to insure I had the chance to speak to you, Lady Tomoyo." 

"What can I do for you?" Tomoyo asked with a surprised look, unsure what the girl could possibly want to speak to her about. 

"You did me a good turn this night so I wished to return the favor." Andrea said as she met Tomoyo's eyes, a silent message passing from Andrea to Tomoyo telling the surprised Lady Tomoyo that some how the girl was aware that Tomoyo had chosen to keep the knowledge of Andrea's race to herself. "In return for your good deed I will tell you that you will have three." 

"Three?" Treyz asked with a questioning look, wondering what he was missing here. 

"Children, two boys and a girl." Andrea said with a small smile as she watched joy bloom on Tomoyo's face while Lord Treyz looked rather like he'd been hit upside the head. "I just thought you'd want to know since it's bee worrying you, Lady Tomoyo." Andrea added then turning around to let herself out as Lady Tomoyo had burst into happy tears and Lord Treyz was too busy trying to get her to stop to think to dismiss her. 

) 

"Uhm..why is someone crying in there?" Kyou wanted to know as they made their way back to the others. "And are we going to get in trouble because of it?" 

"They were happy tears and we won't be getting in trouble." Andrea said with a roll of her eyes as they made their way through the darkness. Kyou had insisted on coming with her which was sweet but he had talked all the way over and she had a bad feeling he was going to want to talk all the way back too. 

"I don't get why people cry when they're happy. When I'm happy I celebrate, not cry." Kyou said with a considering look the idea of being so happy it drove you to tears on his easily distracted mind for the moment. "It must be a girl thing." 

"Don't make me hurt you." 

"You wouldn't hurt me badly. You love me remember." Kyou said with a snicker, well aware that no matter how often his best friend threatened him with extreme physical harm she'd never follow through. They didn't call each other their best friend for nothing. 

"You have no idea." Andrea muttered, stuffing her hands into the pockets of the cloak as she trudged along with Kyou at her heels with a puzzled look on his face. 

"What do you mean I have no idea? No idea about what?" 

"If you don't know then I see no reason to tell you." 

"Awwww come on. I wanna know." Kyou said in his whiniest, most pitiful voice. There was nothing he hated more then not having his curiousity appeased. "Tell me. Tell me. I'll be as annoying as possible till you tell me." 

"When are you not annoying?" 

".......HEY! That's not true. You're ten times more annoying then I am....now tell me ...Please?" 

"No." 

"You suck." Kyou grumbled, brooding until they reached the campsite. "Mommy! Andrea's being mean to me!" Kyou called out once he caught sight of his mother, speaking before he thought it through as usual. 

"You are such an idiot." Andrea said with a chuckle as she wandered over to sit down beside Inu yasha while Kyou went over to his mother's side with his best put upon and puppy dog eyes. "And a mama's boy at that." 

"There's nothing wrong with being a mama's boy." Kyou said as he stuck his tongue out before looking up at his mom with his golden eyes shimmering with a need to be comforted. "Is there, Mommy?" 

"Of course there isn't." Kagome said as she gave her little boy a big hug. He was just so adorable. 

"See. I was right." Kyou said with a self satisfied look on his face. "Now tell me what you meant." When Andrea simply stuck her tongue out at him Kyou decided to ask his mommy what his mean friend had meant. Explaining the conversation Kyou asked his mother what the brat had meant, the brat comment sending flames shooting into Andrea's eyes. 

Kagome raised an eyebrow at Andrea, the girl simply pouting and trying not to pout. Looking around Kagome saw the rest of the guys were utterly clueless and wasn't the bit surprised. Well if the girl didn't want to explain it to Kyou then Kagome didn't think it was right for her to either. "I think you need to be nicer to Andrea so that she'll tell you herself." 

"But I don't wanna!" 

"Quit acting like a whiny baby or I'll give you something to whine about." 

"Mommy! Dad is threatening me with physical harm again!" 

"SIT!." 

CRASH 

"Thank you, Mommy." 

) 

The Next Day 

The group that left the holding the next morning was a silent and thoughtful one. Sesshoumaru and Sango were trying hard to ignore each other as they walked side by side, Rin walking between them just in case. Shippou was walking at Kagome's side and pondering the idea of Kagome as his mother while Inu yasha was inwardly gloating about how much stronger his daughter was then Manta's son. Sora, Andrea and Kyou were all busy worrying about how their futures were being changed around them and Miroku was just wondering how the hell he could have a son who was afraid of women. 

"Wait up." Came a call and the group turned to see Kouga walking/jogging towards them to catch up. When he did he smirked and then explained why he'd chased after them. "I'm going with you." 

"And why would we want a stupid wolf demon with us?" Inu yasha wanted to know with a sneer having yet to reach a point in his life where he could stand Kouga much less get along with him. "The last thing we need to be doing is wasting time keeping you alive. You'll just slow us down." 

"And you say that with two pups in your midst." Kouga said sarcastically, folding his arms in front of him. "Look you guys apparently had trouble with him in the future so me being around to lend a hand couldn't hurt. Besides if you guys don't stop him he'll start going after everyone who's pissed him off in this time period which means me anyway. Besides he's attacking my pack in the future, I'd like a chance to help send him to Hell for it." 

"I suppose we could always use him as a distraction." Sesshoumaru said dryly, her cold eyes studying the wolf carefully. He doubted the wolf demon would be of any use to them as anything other then bait but bait was always useful. "If he wishes to die let him." 

"Besides you guys have got to get along sooner or later." Kagome said with a huff as she watched Kouga and Inu yasha eye each other with mutual hostility. "You are going to be brother in laws remember." 

"I'll stick with the brother I've got thanks. At least he's not a pansy ass wolf demon." Inu yasha said with a sneer in Kouga's direction, completely missing Sesshoumaru's look of surprise which vanished before anyone could comment though most of them saw it and took note of it with mixed feelings. 

"Careful, dog or you're going to end up pushing up pansies." Kouga growled with a dark look on his face that said he really, really wanted to get into a fight with Inu yasha but was trying to restrain himself. 

"Hey you know what would be really funny?" Shippou said as he watched the two from the ground. "If Mika or Kyou married one of Kouga's kids. Then they'd really be stuck with each other." 

"That's not funny, Shippou." Inu yasha said as he swiped a hand at Shippou's head, just missing the fox. "And that'll happen over my dead body. It isn't going to happen is it?" Inu yasha commanded as he sent his son a glare that said he'd wring Kyou's neck if it were possible. 

) 

"Actually there's no need to worry. Really. I haven't the faintest attraction to Hermione and none of Uncle Kouga's boys are old enough for Mika," Kyou said as he put up his hands in defense against his dad's quick temper. "I love Hermione but I've never thought of her as anything but a relative and friend." 

"I have a daughter named Hermione?" Kouga asked, carefully saying the foreign word that sounded exotic and pretty to him. When Kyou nodded Kouga forgot about needling Inu yasha for the time being. "I would take it she's about your age then. What's she like? She doesn't have a mate yet I take it?" 

"Hermione is a lot like you or at least everyone says so. Unless she's around Jason. Around Jason she's just scary sometimes." Kyou said with a smirk then seeing that the adults were interested opted to elaborate. "Jason is Mika's partner at work. He's a good cop and a great guy but he and Hermione don't get along so well. Actually they're more like gasoline and a match..whenever they meet up you can expect heat and explosions. Since Jason doesn't have any family in Japan Grandma's sort of adopted him so we see him a lot, much to Hermione's irritation. Jason says it's because Hermione's too blunt and arrogant for her own good. Hermione says that he's an arrogant pig that she'd like to crucify someday. She says the only reason he's still alive is grandma." 

"Sounds like their behavior is very similar to the way your parents used to get along." Miroku said with a small smile, turning his chuckle into a weird sounding cough when Inu yasha sent him a dark look. "Only of course Hermione can't sit this young man." 

"No but if she could he'd never be on his feet again in her company. She'd sit him till he hit the earth's center." Sora said with a chuckle as she shook her head at the fact that her statement was far from an exaggeration. "Manta had always hoped then Ren would take Hermione as his mate but that's never going to happen. They're too much like brother and sister, She's like a little kid sister to him. Aunt Mina says that Hermione was always trailing after Ren as a kid but that she could never see them being more then friends because they hardly ever fight." 

"And that's a sign that they could never be more then friends?" Sango said with a confused look on her face. Wouldn't getting along with each other be a sign that they'd be suited to become more? 

"Well you see Aunt Mina has this theory that couples who don't fight are just headed for disaster." Kyou explained with a wide grin of his cheerful face, always happy to be the center of attention whenever possible. "Because if you don't fight then that either means that you're holding your anger in which is never good or that you're sailing along too smoothly. If you're sailing along too smoothly well then things don't stay interesting and more importantly if a big crisis comes you don't have the experience or a strong enough bond to weather through it. Really you can't fault the logic since everyone in our family argues with their spouses and all our marriages are going strong." 

) 

"But I've never heard Hotaru and Linc fight." Sora pointed out, playing devil's advocate for the hell of it and to keep her uncles from fighting. "And they're devoted to each other." 

"That's true but Hotaru apologizes to flies before she swats them." Andrea pointed out with a smirk, Hotaru a constant source of wonder and interest to the water demon. Trying to figure out how Hotaru's mind worked was a fascinating activity simple because it was impossible. "They're both the type that discusses things instead of fights about them. Men never want to discuss, they always want to do and do it their way. Since Linc is one of the few exceptions to the rule the way he looks and does things vary from that of a typical male." 

"So this Linc is my son in law then? He sounds like a very unusual guy. I hope he has some positive influence on the other members of our family." Kagome said drolly as she looked over at Inu yasha pointedly. He could definitely benefit from learning how to discuss things instead of turning the whole thing into a shouting match. 

"Yeah, you definitely could learn from him, Kagome." Inu yasha shot back smugly having understood Kagome look no problem. 

) 


	21. Awkward Circumstances

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot lines. Everything else belongs to someone else and thanks to all those who've been faithfully reading and even more to those who take the time to review. Anyway please enjoy and I look forward to hearing from ya. 

Awkward Circumstances 

Sango sat there and just couldn't take it anymore. Turning her head to the side she sent Sesshoumaru a look that said what she was about to say was important and she was going to get her way come hell or high water. "Sesshoumaru...I need a bath." 

"You're telling me?" Sesshoumaru commented dryly, more then aware of the fact since his nose was twenty times more sensitive then hers. 

"We're chained together which means where I go, you go. Sponging off isn't going to cut in anymore." Sango said, her cheeks red but she'd come to the conclusion that the embarrassment of all this was worth being clean again. She had her towel, one for him and supplies ready, she wasn't giving up till she got her way. "I need to bathe and you need to come with me." 

Staring at her for a moment it slowly dawned on Sesshoumaru what she meant. Oh by the gods no. No way in hell. "No." Sesshoumaru said in a definite tone that said he wasn't going to change his mind on this any time soon. He had no wish to see the slayer bathing and he was never going to if he had his way. Of course you will see her minus clothing since you will have pups with her a little voice in his head reminded him but he pushed it away forcefully. He definitely didn't want to think about that. Had he any food in his system he'd have likely thrown it up he was sure. 

"Look I don't like the idea any more then you do but if I don't have a bath soon I'm going to start stinking up the neighborhood and demons everywhere are going to come after us just to get rid of the stench permanently. My hair is greasy and disgusting looking, my clothes are dirty and they need to be washed so badly I can't even find words for it. Your sense of smell is fifty times my own..do you really want to be chained to something that smells ten times worse then I do now?" 

Just thinking about that was as bad as imagining being stuck watching her bath. "Fine. Let's go." Sesshoumaru said as he got to his feet, looking over to where Rin was playing something called Xs and Os with Shippou. Sure that she'd be fine with Kagome Sesshoumaru allowed Sango to lead the way towards the water, coming across Andrea who was happily floating on the water in the pale moonlit water. 

) 

"How's the water?" Sango called out thinking that they were gonna have to go up river since she had no doubt this was going to be very embarrassing for both Sesshoumaru and herself without adding Andrea to the mix. "Okay for mere human swimming?" Sango added with a smirk to try and relieve some of the tension she was feeling. 

"A little cooler then you land demons prefer but it's warm enough. Going to bath huh?" Andrea said as she stopped floating and simply kicked her legs gently to remain with her head above water. "If you go down for about two minutes it gets fairly deep..if you can both swim it would be a good place to go in my opinion. Plus it's murky." Andrea added with a hint of laughter in her voice. "Have fun." 

"Thanks." Sango said with a hint of sarcasm as she called out a good bye before heading down as Andrea had suggested. When they were down far enough Sango sighed then looked at the chain then up her arm as she set their towels down on a rock. There was no way to take her clothing off without cutting it off which meant that her clothes would have to be loosened then slid down to rest on the chain between them. Cheeks burning Sango looked up at Sesshoumaru who seemed to be finding the water more then a little interesting. "Uhmmm, do you..uhm need a bath too?" Sango asked nervously before lifting the bag she'd brought with her up. "I have some shampoo and stuff..if you want to use some." Sango added as she released her hair from it's normal high ponytail with a nervous jerk that would have hurt if she'd been paying attention. 

"Shampoo?" Sesshoumaru asked with a raised eyebrow as he watched her remove her footwear and her outer robe to reveal the demon hunter's battle attire. 

"Oh it's stuff to put in your hair..to make it clean and nice and shiny. I'd imagine it would take a lot to do your hair though since there's so much of it." Sango said with a hint of smile that soon dissolved under the pressure of nerves. "So uhmn...I guess we could..uhm walk till I'm up to my neck and uhm..that okay with you?" 

"Whatever." Sesshoumaru said with a shrug and soon the two were wading into the water. When Sango was up to her neck they stopped and Sesshoumaru gave her his back while she undressed as best she could. Trying to close his sensitive ears to the sounds Sesshoumaru decided to take him outer robe off since there was some blood on it from an earlier encounter with a demon that day. Awkwardly working it off since he could only use one hand he soon had it off and hanging off the chain along with Sango's. 

) 

"Here's some soapy stuff that gets clothes cleaned good. Just rub it in." Sango said hesitantly, standing there only in a basically see through shift now that it was wet. At least the water hid that, Sango thought, her cheeks red as she held out a bottle towards Sesshoumaru. He was so pale, Sango thought to herself even though it was only logical since he didn't exactly take the time to sun bath. No matter how hot it was she'd never seen him in less then full battle clothing. Thanks to his superior height Sango could see that there were no battle scars to mar his perfect form though there were two dark purple stripes on either side of his hips to mirror the marks on his cheeks. His arm, where he'd lost his original was the only thing that marred the perfect beauty that was the lord of the west. The area where his shoulder connected with the substitute arm was red and looked a little swollen. Did it hurt she wondered, knowing he would never complain. 

Nodding his head Sesshoumaru took the bottle from her and after looking at it held it in his chained hand to squeeze some of the sweet smelling stuff onto his hand before handing it back to her. Grabbing his robe from the water Sesshoumaru watched in surprise as the liquid became rather bubbly and went about erasing all the stains it was rubbed into. Amazing stuff this liquid goo. Looking over absently he saw that Sango was doing the same looking rather strange since she was only visible from the neck up as she struggled to wash her own in the water. "We can move further into shore if you need to." Sesshoumaru pointed out dryly as he watched with slight amusement. "You have nothing I've never seen before and you look ridiculous." 

"True and it's not like you won't be seeing it in the future." Sango shot back, smug when his face went loose with surprise for a moment then turned into one of the most sullen scowls she'd ever seen on his face. Mustering her courage Sango turned and started making her way towards shore, giving the chain hard tug then yelled when she felt herself being pulled under, surfacing quickly then spun around sending water flying. 

) 

Having not expected the move Sesshoumaru hadn't been ready for the tug and had been sent splashing forward, emerging from the water shortly after her, wet from head to toe and not at all pleased about it. Shaking his head like a wet dog he glared at Sango who was laughing her head off, her free arm wrapped around her waist as she doubled over with laughter, the only thing keeping the bag from sinking to the bottom the fact that she'd tied the string to her arm just in case. "Your..your face." Sango gasped out, not even realizing that she was backing up while Sesshoumaru advanced on her with the intention of drowning her for daring to laugh at him. When there was no slack on the chain Sango found herself at a dead halt. Looking at him with merriment in her eyes Sango blinked when she realized he was staring at her with the strangest look in his eyes. "What?" Sango wanted to know, her face bright with laughter at the whole thing. He'd actually yelped when he hit the water, Sango thought, on the edge of breaking out laughing again. But the look in his eyes was draining the laughter out of her somehow though she didn't feel threatened by him at the moment even though he had to be mad at her. "What?" Sango repeated again, completely clueless as she looked over at her shoulder then back at him. "What's wrong? You're looking at me weird. Quit it." 

Only vaguely hearing her Sesshoumaru couldn't take his eyes off her. At first blinded by a need to dunk her head under the water and hold her there till she lost consciousness he hadn't realized the significance of her backing away from him. It wasn't until the water only reached the middle of her back and she'd swung around to look at him that he'd forgotten about teaching her a lesson. Her words coming back to him Sesshoumaru could feel heat running through his veins as his icy eyes took in what was apparently to be his. With her battle attire as tight as it was it wasn't that he hadn't been aware that she was reasonably well formed, it was just that the demon hunter's body had never looked like this. With her hair loose and flowing down her back, the off white shift plastered to her form and nearly see through..she looked more like a vision then a flesh and blood woman. At that moment she was the most stunning and desirable creature he'd ever seen. 

"If you don't tell me why you're staring I'm going to dunk you again." Sango demanded, her one hand on her hip as she sent him a look of exasperation. Boy the water felt warmer, there must be a hot spring nearby that feeds into it, Sango thought absently as she grew increasingly warmer under his stare, feeling as though every muscle and inch of skin on her body was being studied. Her body. Mouth opening wordlessly Sango looked down then up again then down again. With a muffled yelp of her own Sango's arm came up to shield her barely covered breasts from view, her cheeks burning. He'd been staring at her..wait a minute...he'd been..looking at her? Blinking Sango looked at him in confusion, watching him return her gaze with eyes that were there usual calm blue. But moments ago they hadn't been. They'd been focused and warm when they'd stared at her, at her form. Had he..had he been looking at her as a woman? As his future mate? When she'd made the crack about him seeing her undress in the future..well up until now how right that was hadn't really reached her. Or maybe it had and her mind just hadn't allowed the ideas to dwell. This demon, this man would be...they'd have children together..create children together. This cool, overbearing, beautiful demon would be the man to share not just her life but her bed as well. Eyes unfocusing at the thought Sango felt more then a little light headed, her cheeks going as red as blood at the thoughts slyly passing through her mind. 

) 

"What?" Sesshoumaru wanted to know, getting a little uneasy at the way she was looking at him. Now that he'd snapped out of it he was more then a little mortified by what he'd done and thought. The images and wants that had run through his head. The idea that this woman, human or not would one day be his, belong to him had sent his blood flowing and his calm heart pounding. He was hungry now and the idea that he could and would possess her was both a pleasurable and a painful thought. At least he was beginning to understand his weakness and why he'd lowered himself to making her his permanently. They'd been destined to be chained together for several months which meant many of these little excursions. He was only so strong and it would have been his duty to make her his mate because of their children. Yes, looking at her now he could see how she could lure him into setting aside his standards and principles. Her face was red, likely from embarrassment now that she'd realized how much she'd been showing. And yet her eyes, her eyes never left him as she looked at him, much the way he'd been looking at her, Sesshoumaru realized as he felt himself forced to look away under the barely concealed heat in her eyes. "We should..hurry before the others come looking for you." Sesshoumaru said with his head turned, his voice huskier then normal. 

"Oh. You're right." Just give me five minutes." Sango said as she snapped back to reality. While Sesshoumaru kept his face adverted Sango quickly soaped up her hair and rinsed it out, using the body wash as well so that Sesshoumaru was forced to breath in the appealing scent of apple blossoms while he listened to her bath. Soon she was done and was about to put the shampoo back when she remembered her earlier offer. "Do you want to borrow the shampoo? It will help with all the tangles when Rin insists on brushing your hair." Sango added, well aware that the girl loved to play with Sesshoumaru's hair. "It doesn't smell like apple blossoms or anything like that. That's just the body wash." Sango added, figuring he would refuse if he thought he'd end up smelling like flowers. 

"Fine." Sesshoumaru said stiffly, holding out a clawed hand for it while he continued to look away. When it was in his hand he transferred the foresty smelling liquid into his hand then being logical rubbed it into his head, this liquid turning into bubbles as well. Following her example Sesshoumaru dunked his head under water and rinsed the suds out then resurfaced to find her looking away this time. "Shall we go now?" Sesshoumaru wanted to know. he didn't want to remain with her like this. He wanted her annoying friends around them and he wanted them now. 

"Uhm ya." Sango said and soon the two were walking towards the shore, both staring straight ahead while covertly stealing glances at the other. Arriving at the shore Sango soon bundled herself up in her towel with their wet clothes still hanging from their chain, unable to be slid off so that they hung there on the make shift clothes line. "I guess...we just leave them there to dry?" Sango said as she turned to look at him, her tongue barely managing not to hang out as she watched him dry off with the towel she'd brought for him having borrowed Kagome's. Oh wow. His face might have been femininely beautiful but his body..his body was pure male perfection. Muscular shoulders, flat and well muscled chest and stomach, narrow hips, firm thighs shown to perfection as his pants were plastered to them. His....oh God. Blushing again Sango looked down at the ground in pure desperation. 

) 

"Nothing else to do with them. You'll get sick if you walk around in wet clothing, especially in this cool weather." Sesshoumaru commented, unaware of the evaluation he'd been given while he'd been toweling off. His towel, or Kagome's towel if the smell was anything to go on, hung limply in his hand. "Here." Sesshoumaru added as he held the damp towel out to her. "You're shivering." 

The weather had nothing to do with it but Sango took the towel and used it to towel off her hair then put it loosely back so that it was out of her way. She would have brought clothes to change into but there was no point in it since she'd have to cut the clothing, wrecking it in order to get it on thanks to the stupid chain. "Thanks. Uhm...lets head back then." 

"You'll be giving the monk plenty to look at." Sesshoumaru pointed out, the idea occurring to him and not in a good way. If the monk even tried to look at her he'd personally remove the monk's eyes and shove them down the human's skinny little throat. 

"Nothing he hasn't seen before. He's snuck up on Kagome and I more then once when we've been bathing." Sango said, quickly explaining since she didn't want him to think that she'd ever..been..with Miroku. "And worse comes to worse I can ask Inu yasha to borrow his robe till my clothing is dry." 

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" Came a voice and both turned to see Jakken appear from the shadows. Neither had even realized he was coming, their thoughts too occupied. The small toad sending Sango a you don't deserve to breath the same air as me look the toad quickly made his way over to his master, offering the robe he'd brought. "Inu yasha's mate said you were here bathing so I brought you one of your old robes to wear while yours dries, Master. The sleeve could be removed so that you wouldn't be bothered. " 

Taking the robe from Jakken without a thank you, not that it ever had been, Sesshoumaru regarded the garment carefully. It was on the old side, stained with wear though it was still wearable. It was one he wouldn't care overly about wrecking either so that he could actually get it on. All set to slice Sesshoumaru's eyes were caught on the sight of Sango who was glaring at Jakken who was glaring at her, the two busy showing their mutual dislike while Jakken smirked. Sango was also shivering, the cool night air too much for her delicate human flesh, Sesshoumaru decided. Before he'd even really thought about it Sesshoumaru tied the ends of the robe's sleeves together then walked over to Sango. Looping the sleeves around her neck Sesshoumaru tugged on his robe so that they came behind her, forming a shoulder bearing cover that at least provided some warmth "If you get sick you'll slow us down. Tie it around your waist and lets get back." Sesshoumaru said with his cold eyes just daring Jakken to comment. 

"Thank you." Sango said softly, surprised by his actions not even beginning to describe. Getting the sash she used for her robe Sango used it to hold Sesshoumaru's robe around her in a make shift dress that covered her from bust to well past her feet. 

"Let's go then." Sesshoumaru said and soon the two were on their way, Jakken stuck carrying stuff and cursing the fact that his master had gotten chained to the slayer. How his master must be suffering. 


	22. Poor Sesshoumarusama

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot lines presented in my way too many fics. I hope you're enjoying both and that you'll continue to read my works. Have a great day and please review cause I love to hear from you. 

Poor Sesshoumaru-sama 

Walking back to the others Sesshoumaru stopped when he smelled something that made his eyes narrow. Rin wasn't where she was supposed to be. She was with Kyou, Andrea and that stupid little fox of Inu yasha's. Not bothering to explain to the toad of Sango Sesshoumaru changed directions and continued to follow the river instead of going through the woods which would have been the quicker and less dangerous route. Following behind him slightly Sango chose not to question, keeping silent as she watched him march forward, his bare back a sharp contrast to the night's darkness. Their wet clothes were heavy between them but Sango didn't complain, knowing that he'd only say something that would lead to an argument. Instead she followed and waited to see where he was taking them. Finally hearing the sound of voices and a lot of splashing Sango raised an eyebrow as they came upon Kyou and Andrea apparently giving the children baths. Shippou and Kyou were both only wearing their pants while Rin was wearing a large pink shirt of Kagome's as she crowed with delight as Kyou let her jump off his shoulders and into the water, his hands waiting to catch her under the water and bring her back up. Skippou meanwhile was getting floating lessons from Andrea and the two were on their backs lazily floating away. 

) 

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin said in surprise as she halted in the process of climbing back onto Kyou's shoulders for another jump. "We're having baths." She quickly explained, beaming at him happily. "Kyou says this is the best way to get suds out of your hair!" 

"Did he now?" Sesshoumaru said as he sent his nephew a cool look that had Kyou grinning back sheepishly. "She isn't a strong swimmer." 

"Well she will be and she's never more then a foot away from me, promise." Kyou said as he put a hand over his heart and tried not to wince as Rin used his hair to help her climb back up onto his shoulders. 

"Sango, what are ya wearin?" Shippou wanted to know having stopped floating once he realized they had company. "That's a really weird looking dress." 

"It's not a dress and I'm just wearing it until my own clothes dry, Shippou." Sango said with a smirk, imagining she did look rather strange in Sesshoumaru's backward robe. "Having a fun bath?" 

"Yup, yup." Shippou said with a smile of his own just as Rin jumped off Kyou's shoulder and sent a huge splash then a second as she came flying back up again with a smile and Kyou's arms around her waist. "Kagome and Inu yasha went for a walk by the way. I was supposed ta tell ya if I saw you guys. Everyone else is still at camp." 

"Alright then. You shouldn't stay in much longer." Sesshoumaru said then looked over at Jakken who seemed to sense what Sesshoumaru was going to say because he was already opening his mouth to protest. "You'll stay here with her until they return to camp." 

"But..of course, Sesshoumaru-sama." Jakken said with a grumbling acceptance as he sat down on a nearby fallen log while Sesshoumaru headed towards camp with Sango at his side. There had been a look in his master's eyes that said he wouldn't tolerate complaining. "Why do I always have to watch over the bratty little human?" 

) 

"I'm surprised that you'd intrust her to that toad. He's not much protection, is he?" Sango said after they'd been walking for a little bit, her head turned towards the river where they'd left the rest. "Plus he doesn't strike me as caring overly much if she lives or dies." 

"He knows his fate if he doesn't. Besides he can hold them off long enough for me to get there and that's all that matters." Sesshoumaru said as he tried not to think about the fact that the slayer was starting to treat him differently. She no longer addressed him with hostility ringing in her voice or acted defensively. She's just gotten use to my presence, Sesshoumaru thought, shrugging off the idea that she'd stopped being weary of him. That she seemed to be fine in his company. It just made her weak and stupid not to realize what a threat to her he was. 

"I suppose." Sango said with a considering look on her face as she thought that over. "And I guess you wouldn't keep him around if he was a complete waste of space and air. He's been in your family for a long time?" 

"Yes." Sesshoumaru said with a coolness coming to his voice. Speaking of the past always did. There was nothing in his past he wished to remember or relieve in his mind. 

"That must be nice. There's no one left from my childhood but Kirara." Sango said as she thought of her village, a ghost town with no people to inhabit it. Full of the graves of the dead killed because Naraku had wanted it. "I'm glad that my children have a big family with many siblings and cousins to be there for them, to love them. They'll never be alone as long as they have each other and it's comforting to know that I won't be alone in the future..that I'll have a family again." 

) 

"Even though you'll be sharing that family with me?" Sesshoumaru said with a smirk, expecting her to say that his part in all this was the major disappointment and source of horror in her little dream future. 

"Well there are some good points to being stuck with you, Lord of the West." Sango said with a chuckle as she watched a look of absolute shock pass across his features and stay. Well what do you know, that certainly blew the mighty lord's mind, Sango thought with a smile. "I mean you'd be a good provider and protector, anyone would think twice before crossing paths with you, much less threatening your children. And those children would be strong and powerful, able to take care of themselves and their loved ones. It's nice to know that they'll live long lives and no matter what will never go down without one hell of a fight. It's nice to know that I won't lose them because they weren't strong enough or were alone in a bad situation. It's true that being with you for the rest of my life has some definite downsides and obvious deviations from the future I wanted but I think, all in all, that I could have done a lot worse." Not sure how insulted to be Sesshoumaru could only scowl darkly at the slayer. "That upsets you?" Sango said as she had to smile wider at the look on his face. He looked almost childish at the moment, like child who'd been told he wasn't big enough to play with the big kids. Half insulted and half angry at being rejected. "Well I'd imagine you could come up with a long list of reasons why being stuck with me will be the worse decision you ever will make." 

) 

"A very long list." Sesshoumaru agreed and just masked his surprise when that comment made her grin at him. "You find that amusing?" 

"Well I should probably be insulted but the way I see it if you had to make that list you must have been coming up with some good things about it and therefore had to come up with more reasons against it." Sango said with a cheeky grin on her face. 

"And what possible good could there be in being stuck with you for the rest of my life?" Sesshoumaru asked dryly, refusing to believe that there could be any. That he'd thought of even one. 

"Uhmm..well...there are lots of positive things." Sango said with a stubborn look on her face as she struggled to come up with points he'd consider good ones. "I'm not a bad catch you know. I'm smart and loyal, dependable and honorable. I uhm..I'm not bad looking and I'm strong even in comparison to many full blooded demons. I'd be a good mother and a faithful wife...I'd be able to cover your back in a battle and protect the children even if it wouldn't be as well as you could. I..I..can cook and sorta run a household if I really set my mind to it. Oh and I can make my own weapons and I come from a distinguished and recognized bloodline." Sango said with a decisive nod, pleased at her list. "And that's just for starters." Sango added though not a lot of others came to mind at the moment. 

) 

"Such a long list." Sesshoumaru said coolly, his mind centering on two words in particular. Faithful wife. "So you would be a faithful wife hmm? And what if your husband was unfaithful?" 

"They would never find the body." Sango said with a cool and serious look on her face. 

"Most would simply tolerate it, at least in that case. Were it the woman committing the act she of course would be punished but when it comes to your males you human females seem to tolerate it easily enough. Even in my own culture it's not unusual." Sesshoumaru said as he wondered at her words. She was absolutely serious. Even if she'd married for love she'd have killed that love if he betrayed her. How unusual. 

"I'm not most women. If it were an arranged marriage perhaps I would let him live since it wasn't our choice to be stuck together but I'll never be in that situation so it doesn't really apply. My choices are my own and I won't marry anyone unless I love them and they love me in return. If that person, who claimed to love me, became unfaithful I'd lose all trust in him and that would kill my love because one cannot love without trust. That he would care for me so little, that he would wound me so deeply is and would be unforgivable." Sango said, completely forgetting just how sensitive a topic this must be for the dog demon. In truth she rarely thought about why Sesshoumaru hated Inu yasha and humans so much. He had simply hated them for as long as she could remember. "On top of that with my temper I wouldn't likely be able to stop myself." 

"And his lover? What would you do to her?" Sesshoumaru asked oh so quietly. "Perhaps even to the children of their affair?" 

"To them? Nothing." Sango said, blinking at him in surprise. "It wouldn't be the child or children's fault that they were born. They wouldn't have done anything wrong and would suffer already with the possible stigmas attached to them as a product of an affair. As for his lover..well to be honest I might get into a fight with her but I wouldn't kill her if that's what you're asking. It would have been my husband's choice to enter the affair, his choice to deceive and hurt me. His lover would be simply the woman he chose to have it with who might not even have known I existed. If she did then that speaks badly for her but if not her then it would have likely been someone else." 

) 

"You would forgive her so easily?" Sesshoumaru said, not able to understand that. His own mother..how she had hated Inu yasha's mother. The venom and hatred she had felt for the human bitch had been present in every word his mother had ever spoken in regards to his father's mistress. Talking about what should be done to her and her bastard half breed had always been one of his mother's favorite things to talk about. His mother had never attempted to do anything, fearing his father's wrath but if she could have..oh if she could have. 

"I wouldn't forgive her and I might even hate her for a while but in the end I'd move on and let it rest. If there's one thing I've learned it's that even if you successfully get your revenge it doesn't bring back what was lost. Seeing Naraku destroyed didn't ease the pain of the loss of my family, it just meant that the one thing I'd been living for had been completed. Yes there was satisfaction in knowing that I'd avenge them, that no one would suffer at his hand again but that didn't change the fact that he'd taken the most important people in my life away from me." Sango said quietly, images of her friends and family crossing her mind, their graves following soon after. So many of them, everyone she'd grown up with gone in a single day. "Hating someone gives them power over you, the way you think and act. So much of what I did after I lost my village revolved around him that everything else took a back seat and became secondary to my quest to end his life. I did some pretty stupid and dangerous things, all to try and kill him. It's only now that I realize my family wouldn't have wanted me to avenge them..they would have just wanted me to be happy." 

) 

Waiting for Sesshoumaru to comment Sango was surprised when he didn't say anything and simply stood there, watching her with golden eyes that gave away nothing of what he was thinking. They stood there for a while, Sango keeping quiet because she sensed it wouldn't be welcome. Finally he turned his head and silently began walking again, Sango following behind as she tried to figure out what she'd said. He'd seemed interested before, what had she said that had made him react like that? If he'd agreed or disagreed with what she'd said you'd think he would have commented instead of just quietly watching her for so long. What was going on behind those golden orbs? Pondering it they were within hearing distance of the camp when it clicked. Oh. His family. 

"Sango! You're back. What are you wearing?" Miroku said as he got to his feet, a surprised look on his face as he took in the sight before him. There was Sango wearing some strange looking robe/dress looking shocked and Sesshoumaru, shirtless looking like his usual cold self with his robe and Sango's clothing hanging off the chain between them. "Are you alright?" 

"Hmmm?" Sango said as she blinked then seeing the concern on Miroku's face managed a weak smile. "I'm fine." 

"You must be cold, come close to the fire and warm up." Sora said as she set a blanket down for her parents to sit on. 

"Yeah, that sounds good." Sango said nervously as she looked at Sesshoumaru questioningly, then lowered her head nervously, the way his eyes had prodded her unnerving her. 

Without a word Sesshoumaru walked over and sat down on the blanket Sora had set out, Sango sitting at his side with her head bowed slightly as she held her hands out to warm while Sora brought over a blanket to go over Sango's shoulders. "Are the rest still down at the water?" Sora asked hesitantly, knowing her father well enough to know he was seriously brooding about something. Her mother wasn't looking so great either. 

"Yes, they're having a wonderful time." Sango said with a weak smile in Sora's direction. "They should be back soon though, the water was getting pretty chilly." 

) 

"I don't like this." Miroku muttered as he watched Sora and Sango chat through the flames of the fire while Sesshoumaru ignored them and everyone else for that matter. "Something happened out there. I can practically see it written all over them." 

"They're both fine. I don't smell any blood or any other telling scents other then whatever they washed with." Kouga said with a shake of his head though he too was picking up strange vibes from the dog and the slayer. Perhaps something was said that shouldn't have been? Or more likely Sesshoumaru-sama was simply being his normal self and the slayer had gotten upset or afraid. He wouldn't put it past the demon to go into vivid detail as to how much he wanted to kill her. Of course there was the fact that it looked as though the two would end up together but Kouga imagined that only made Sesshoumaru want to kill her more at the moment. Interestingly enough whatever it was the slayer was wearing smelled strongly of the dog demon and was far too large for the slayer suggesting it was the demon's. So why was the slayer wearing it instead? 

) 

"We're back!" Rin called out from Kyou's shoulders where she was riding piggy back while Shippou was content to walk on his own with Jakken trailing far behind. Dressed in their normal clothing they were all in high spirits. All scrubbed clean their hair was damp and plastered to their heads but all three of them still looked unbelievably adorable. 

"Welcome back." Sora called out with a small smile as she returned Rin's enthusiastic wave with a more dignified one of her own. "No need to ask if you three had fun." 

"We did, we did!" Rin said as she nodded her head rapidly as Kyou removed her from her shoulders and set her down on the ground. Immediately racing over to Sesshoumaru Rin quickly pulled something out of her pocket. "And Sesshoumaru-sama I found...." Rin began then stopped when she saw the look on her master's face. "I'll show you later." Rin said as her smile dimmed slightly. Her master was sad. 

"Can I see, Rin?" Sango asked gently, reading the girl correctly. Apparently the girl was very in-tuned with Sesshoumaru's moods. 

"Sure." Rin said as she moved over to Sango's side and displayed a shiny rock which was half of another piece somewhere. Inside this half were small white crystals. "Isn't it pretty?" 

"Silly girl." Jakken huffed as he shook his head at the whole thing and walked over to his master intending to speak to him about something but stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw the look in his master's eyes. Now was not the time to speak to his master about important matters, they would have to wait till morning or whenever Sesshoumaru-sama was approachable. Right now it was impossible to judge his mood and that was when he was at his most dangerous. 

) 

"It's beautiful." Sango said with a smile as she reached out and ruffled Rin's hair. "And your hair needs to be brushed out. Would you like me to do it?" 

"Really? Ya!" Rin said with a wide grin before hurrying to get her comb. Coming back quick as a rabbit she sat down in front of the slayer and Sango began to carefully comb the girl's hair out gently, taking her time about it. After all it was good practice since it looked like she was going to have three girls, Sango thought with a small smile. And four boys who looked just like their enigma of a father. 


	23. Most Painful Memory

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot lines displayed and created for this fic. Plagiarism, while it displays a liking for my work is still plagiarism and wrong so please don't use any aspect of any of my works without asking. Thank you very much for reading and I hope you enjoy this latest chapter of my usual mayhem. 

Most Painful Memory 

It was a strange group that headed off into the unknown, not quite sure where they were going to find their common enemy, but all looking forward to seeing the death of him. Strolling along Sesshoumaru's dark and scary quiet mood kept the chatter down to a minimum and the children were even on their best behavior. No one, save those close to Sesshoumaru had ever seen him in this kind of mood before and since he was downright evil sometimes bothering him when he was in a dark mood was something only an idiot would venture to do. And even Kyou and Inu yasha kept their mouths shut. Towards the end of the day though the younger generation couldn't quite keep so quiet and soon there was weary and quiet chatter which continued to get louder and more cheerful when Sesshoumaru didn't respond by biting any heads off. 

"Okay, Sora, here's a question for you. The worst thing you've ever had to eat." Kyou said with a chuckle, walking with a smirk at his cousin's side. Since he was an overly curious person by nature he saw no reason not to ask questions to relieve the boredom of endless walking. One of his favorite games involved what questions. 

"Anything you cooked, baka." Sora replied with a roll of her eyes, smirking back when Kyou stuck his tongue out at her. He could really be so childish sometimes. 

"Hey, I resent that. Aiden is a worse cook then I am." Kyou said with a huff though good natured enough to admit that he really was a terrible cook when it came right down to it. Luckily most everyone else in his family could and did feed him out of pity and to keep him from blowing things up accidentally. "He can't even burn toast on purpose, he can just incinerate the bread." 

"He's not that bad. At least he can use kitchen appliances without causing damage to everything nearby." Andrea pointed out with a small smile of her own though she was quite serious. She'd never seen such a complete lack of sense in a kitchen before. "You're clumsier then a new born when it comes to cooking." 

) 

"Everyone has their strengths and their weaknesses. Cooking just happens to be one of my weaker skills." Kyou said primly, nose slightly in the air. "Neither of you can draw much better then stick figures as you'll recall while Aiden and I kick ass." 

"Aiden?" Kagome asked as he raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar name. Now who did this one belong to? 

"That's Miroku's son, his one and only." Sora said with a small smile at the irony of it all, seeing an opening to get some of the adults smiling or at the very least smirking. "One boy and four girls...Mom always said it was the most poetic of ironies. Now he has to live with the fact that his four daughter's are out in the world with men who are just like him." 

"Four...girls?" Miroku repeated slowly, losing a bit of color as the idea sunk in. 

"Yup four girls more then capable of bearing children for any guy that might ask it of them." Andrea replied sweetly, enjoying the monk's reaction to the news. He really did deserve it after all. The lech. 

"Yeah, when Uncle Inu yasha wanted to terrify dad and Uncle Miroku he'd always point out that dad has four boys and a girl and Uncle Miroku has four girls and a boy." Sora said with a chuckle, not surprised when Miroku sent her a horrified look while her father looked just a tad ill at the idea. "But no need to worry, Kohaku and Kiyoshi are pretty much spoken for and so is Aiden and two of his sisters." 

"That still leaves two sisters and two brothers though." Inu yasha pointed out slyly, a rather cheeky smirk on his face. 

"Bit your tongue, brother or I'll cut it out and feed it to you." Sesshoumaru said coldly then shock crossed his face for a moment before it iced over completely. He'd called Inu yasha his brother, casually and off handed. Like it fit, was natural. Damn it. 

"Well anyway it certainly is a nice day outside." Kyou began, a cheerful grin on his face as he tried to ice things over. "Wouldn't you all agree?" 

) 

Late that evening, after a long and rather brutal march across the countryside, the rag tag group settled down for a much needed rest. They set up camp in a small clearing next to a stream, soon with a fire roaring and bedding set out. Everyone dividing up night watch times equally they soon settled down to eat, talk and then go to bed with Kouga taking the first watch. Sango, laying down with Rin snuggled against her, was well aware of the ever quiet and watchful Sesshoumaru behind her, stretched out but wide awake. Then again he didn't need to sleep now did he, Sango thought as she felt her eyes threaten to close, completely exhausted and warn out by now. It must be nice not to require regular sleep and food. Definitely handy anyway. 

"Good night, Sango, Jaken. Sesshoumaru sama." Rin sleepily called out, Sango returning the greeting while both the demons said nothing. "Sweet dreams too to everyone." 

) 

Soon Sesshoumaru could hear the deep and heavy breathing of Rin and Sango, finally asleep in front of him. Laying there he closed his eyes, tired as well though more mentally then physically. He'd been trying to examine and pick apart the idea of taking the slayer as his mate all day. Of even wanting her for that matter. With his bloodlines, prestige and holdings he knew there were few demoness who wouldn't jumped at the chance to be his mate and hadn't made that quite clear. He'd had more then a few offers from fathers as well, looking to become allies through marriage to their daughters or female relatives. He didn't believe in love or choosing a mate because of an emotional connection. That was simply foolish and idiotic thinking in his mind. It was better to take a mate who you had no feelings for one way or another. They couldn't hurt you and they were easily replaced if the situation arose. And yet apparently he had taken this human, a demon slayer of all things, to be his mate. Which meant it had to be because he wanted her, emotionally and physically enough that he'd forget everything else. His beliefs, ideas and the responsibilities, of continuing his line and doing so with honor and greatness. But she isn't your mother or Inu yasha's, a sly voice inside his head pointed out. By all accounts she is everything you would want in a mate if you were to overlook her lack of demon blood. She loves your children, you could see it just by watching her. It doesn't matter to her how strong they are or what their bloodline is. She's so much stronger then your mother as well, she would never hurt you the way your mother did. She'd never say the things your mother said before she died. She'd never blame you. The voices rolling around in his head Sesshoumaru didn't even realized he'd slipped into sleep and into a familiar nightmare. 

) 

Standing outside his mother's door a young, twelve year old Sesshoumaru clutched the earring he'd found in his hand so tightly he could feel the metal's sharp edges cut into his hand. The earrings had been a gift from his father to his mother and she'd been so upset last night when she found out one of them was missing. He'd searched everywhere for it and had finally found it out in the gardens, hidden under a rosebush. He'd been quite dirty by then of course but he'd bathed and changed before coming, knowing she'd be angry if he appeared before her less then perfect. His hand shaking slightly he knocked on the door, waiting for her permission to enter. When he heard her call out a sharp enter Sesshoumaru slid the door open and stepped into the well lit room. He could see his mother seated in her favorite chair in front of the fire, her long black hair shining in light casted off from the flames. She looked just like him, or technically it would be correct to say he looked just like her. He had his father's coloring but her face, her bone structure and the stunning presence. She sat with shoulders back, facing straight ahead in her magnificent robes, the perfect picture of the perfect lady demoness. Walking over to stand beside her chair Sesshoumaru kept his eyes on the floor respectfully, waiting for her permission to speak. 

) 

"What is it, Sesshoumaru?" His mother finally said after a moment, her voice cool and distant to her son's ears. 

"I found your earring, Mother san." Sesshoumaru said as he held out the earring in his palm, waiting for her to take it as he raised his head to meet her cool gaze. 

"So that's where you've been all day instead of doing your lessons and training? Looking for an earring?" His mother asked slowly, a hint of bite to her words which had Sesshoumaru's heart sinking as he fought the urge to back away and get out of there. 

"I knew it was important to you." Sesshoumaru said carefully and only had a second to wince before her hand shot out, back handing him across the face. Staying in place he ignored the blood sliding down his face from the grooves her rings had cut into his face, knowing that even a hint of hurt would only make her more angry. "I'm sorry you're displeased...I'll go find Miyoga and Jaken to continue with my lessons immediately." 

"But not to your father. After all he isn't here, now is he? You know where he is, don't you Sesshoumaru?" His mother said as she got to her feet, turning to face him as she towered over him while Sesshoumaru fought the instinct to cower. It would only be worse if he did. "You know where your father goes every few weeks. What he does while he's there. Who he's gone to see. You know..SAY IT!" 

"He is out surveying our vast lands, Mother san." Sesshoumaru said as he met her glance, lying to her and both of them knowing it. He knew where his father was. He knew why he wasn't here, with them. He'd gone to be with that human and his..his bastard. His other son. The one he preferred. The one he loved best. "I'm sure he will be back soon." 

) 

"Liar." Was his mother's response and even seeing the blow coming Sesshoumaru made no move to avoid the blow, her fist sending him crashing to the floor, biting back a whimper when she kicked him hard enough in the ribs to break something. "You know he's with his whore, his bitch. Do you know why he's there, Sesshoumaru? Do you know why he's always there? Because we aren't good enough." His mother raged, beating him in her frustration as she landed blow after blow. "Because you're pathetic. A weak, pathetic child who can't even compete with his half breed bastard. It's because of you that he's never here, that he doesn't want to be near me. Because I gave him you, a disgrace to his bloodline. He won't even look at me anymore and it's all your fault. It's ALL YOUR FAULT!" 

Curling into himself Sesshoumaru tried to blank it all out but knew that it was useless. He remembered everything his mother called him, everything she said about him. It was his fault his father didn't care about him. It was his fault his mother was mad all the time. Everything was his fault. Always. When the blows finally stopped coming Sesshoumaru remained where he was for a couple minutes before slowly opening his eyes, sitting up to see his mother standing beside the fire, staring into the flames. Thinking he was dismissed Sesshoumaru slowly got to his feet, weaving there for a moment as he tried to ignore the waves of pain threatening to drown him. About to turn to leave he was stopped in his place when his mother suddenly whirled around, her eyes locking with his. They were wild and scary eyes now, their dark depths filled with emotions he couldn't understand but frightened him none the less. Taking a step back Sesshoumaru watched as she walked over to him slowly, her eyes pinning him to the spot so that he couldn't move. Then she was standing there, in front of him with that face, his face staring down at him with complete and total insanity. He would never forget the look in those eyes. Ever again. 

) 

"One of these days he won't come back." His mother said softly, reaching out a hand that stroked his bruised and battered cheek, the way she had done before, countless times a long, long time ago. "He'll simply abandon us and stay with his whore and bastard. He doesn't care what happens to us, whether we live or die. We mean nothing to him, Sesshoumaru. Absolutely nothing. All he cares about are his bastard and his whore, we aren't good enough to matter to him. Well I am the daughter of the head of the Kei Clan. I will not be thrown aside for some human. I will not live with the shame of having been caste off by him and bearing him you." Her eyes going more wild with every word as her hand left his cheek and moved to her hair as she backed up. "So I'll leave him first. Now he can be with his whore and bastard all the time..and with his pathetic weakling of a first born." She snarled and before he could even raise a hand to stop her she'd removed one of the large, decorative chopsticks she'd wound in her hair and plunged the pointed end into her heart. 

"MOTHER!" Running towards her he caught her as she collapsed, her dead weight sending them both crashing to the floor with Sesshoumaru on the bottom. Struggling with her weight he pushed her off of him, his pure white robes already red in places where the blood had sprayed. Shifting so that he was clutching her against his chest he pulled the chopstick out of her chest, the sucking noise the action made him feel as sick as the blood that gushed from the wound, flowing over his hand as he pressed down on it in a futile attempt to stem the bleeding. Calling out for Jaken or one of the servants he could do nothing but hold his mother as her blood drained from her body, soaking her clothing and his. 

) 

"Master Sesshoumaru? Lady Shira?" Came a hesitant voice and when the door slipped open the familiar figure of his father's servant Jaken appeared. 

"Get my father!" Sesshoumaru screamed at the toad, his face lacking all color as his lifeless eyes stared into Jakens. "Get him now!" 

"By the Gods..." Was all Jaken could manage, knowing somehow what had happened as he moved in to see the extent of the injuries though he could smell his lady's life blood. Death blood had a scent all its own. "Let her go, Master Sesshoumaru. There is nothing anyone can do. Come with me now." 

"Get away from us and get my father." Sesshoumaru ordered, lashing out at the frog with one clawed hand. "Get him now. Bring him here. I'm not moving till he gets here." 

"But he is not here, you know that. He is out surveying his lands and isn't do back for another week." Jaken said as he tried to lay a hand on his young master's shoulder, only to have it swatted away. "Even if he were here there's nothing he could do. Come away young master, she is no longer here with us. She's gone. You need to be strong now and come with me." 

"I'm not leaving until he comes here so go and find him." Was the only response he would give and so the toad left to find his Master while Sesshoumaru remained where he was for three days before his father was finally brought home. He'd just sat there and waited, the smell of blood everywhere, his mother's body decomposing in his arms as he sat there and waited. And thought about how this was all his fault. And then slowly he'd realized that it wasn't all his fault. It was her fault too. Her and her bastard son. They'd done this to his mother, they bore blame as well. The three of them had killed his mother and he was going to kill them. 

) 

"Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru, wake up." Sango said as she kneeled in front of him, shaking his shoulders while Rin watched from Sango's side, her face the picture of worry. He was sweating so much and his face, there was so much pain radiating from him even though she couldn't even see his eyes. His restless shifting beside her had woken her up and when she'd turned over to ask him to stop she'd found him like this. Rin had woken up when Sango had moved away. 

"Master? Master Sesshoumaru?" Rin said hesitantly, reaching a hand out to touch his cheek when his eyes suddenly snapped open, frightening her so that she fell backwards and onto her rear. 

"What?" Sesshoumaru demanded, breathing hard as he looked up to see the slayer leaning over him, concern on her face. 

"You were having a bad dream..are you okay?" Sango asked as she instinctively lifted a hand to smooth his damp bangs away from his forehead, her hand sliding down to cup his cheek. "It must have been a pretty bad one." 

Her hand, was all he could think as he looked into her eyes, seeing the concern and worry there that she made no attempt to hide. Concern and worry for him, while her hand lay comfortingly against his cheek. A small gesture of comfort. A long forgotten one. And there was Rin, leaning over Sango's shoulder, her eyes conveying the same emotions and worry. They were both worried about him. They both thought he was worth worrying about. Feeling something in his chest he suddenly felt just a little lighter, a little steadier somehow. As though the fact that they cared had released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. "I'm fine. Both of you go back to sleep." 

) 

"Okay." Rin said but this time she moved to sleep in between them instead of with just Sango. That way if he had another bad dream she would know. "Would you like me to sing one of my songs, Master?" 

"No, Rin. Go to sleep." Sesshoumaru replied though there was no bite to his words. Apparently satisfied with that Sesshoumaru watched Rin snuggle back under her blanket between the slayer and himself, close to his side though as if she though her presence might help. The slayer laid down as well, facing him this time and though her eyes were closed he sensed that she wasn't sleeping as deeply as she had been. 


	24. Pointless to Argue

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot ideas displayed here and in other fics written by me. Thanks to all those who've been reading and reviewing and I very much hope that you continue to do so. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy this latest chapter. 

Pointless to Argue 

The next morning everyone walked along, chattering as usual while Inu yasha remained cool and quiet. Inu yasha was jus itching to tease his older brother about having a nightmare but Kagome had said that if he did she'd sit him twenty times in front of his brother. In other words he had to keep his mouth shut. He was pretty sure everyone else knew about the nightmare too but none of them were brave enough to bring it up, Inu yasha thought darkly, sulking as he walked beside Kagome with Shippou's useless chatter ringing in his ears. 

"Uncle Inu yasha?" 

"Hmm? What?" Inu yasha demanded to know as he looked at Sora, his niece in the future apparently as weird as that sounded. She looked so much like him though so it was kinda hard not to believe she was Sesshoumaru's pup. His brother had such a girlie face. 

"I wanted to thank you. For not bringing up last night with father. I know how much you must want to." Sora said quietly, low enough that she hoped her words wouldn't reach her father's keen ears. No one had ears like her dad, especially when he was already on the alert for trouble. "Thank you." 

"No biggie." Inu yasha replied, feeling a little guilty for being thanked for doing something he was being forced not to. Normally he would have taunted Sesshoumaru into a fight but now wasn't the time for it and beside he couldn't fight Sesshoumaru with Sango attached to the bastard the way she was. Besides if he killed his brother then that meant Sesshoumaru's children would never have existed which would be a bad thing as much as it pained him to admit. Sora was coming in handy anyway. 

) 

"It is, you likely saved your life not bring it up. Father's always at his worst after that particular dream. Especially when it comes to you." Sora said with a knowing look in her eyes, a certainty that was a little scary. She knew all about that dream and since she couldn't stop her father from having them she would simply make it clear that reminding her father of it was a very, very big no no. 

"That bad a dream huh?" Kagome whispered having been listening in on the conversation. Apparently this bad dream wasn't a one time deal and Kagome doubted very much Sesshoumaru would have told the girl about it. In other words this was a dream that had been plaguing the lord for years and years. "It must take a lot to scare him." That was an understatement. She'd never seen Inu yasha's brother look afraid or even all that upset about anything. Even when he was angry it was always a cold rage, never with out of control heat and anger. She and Sango didn't call him the ice king sometimes for no reason. 

"Not a dream so much as a memory. One that he doesn't like to remember. I suppose I should have been more specific though. I didn't mean that reminding him would make him kill you..I meant I might." Sora said with a dead serious look on her face as she met Inu yasha's eyes squarely. "At the very least you'd have never been able to walk again." Her message clear Sora walked away to walk beside her father, her head high and shoulders back, his mirror image. 

) 

"She's serious." Kyou said from behind Kagome and Inu yasha, Shippou getting a riding on his little brother's shoulders. "No idea what she means by memory but you could see in her eyes she was serious. It's all in the eyes with her." 

"That memory is not one that should not be prodded." Andrea said from Kyou's side, her eyes scanning the areas for trouble since no one else seemed to be doing it at the moment. Sora and Lord Sesshoumaru might be but with those two you could just never tell. 

"Hey, wait a minute. He's my uncle, how come you know and I don't?" Kyou demanded, sending Andrea an insulted look. Of the two of them he was certainly the one that should know if it was worth knowing. Which it obviously was. Andrea was only related through marriage, he was blood dang nabit. 

"Because no one ever tells you anything even remotely important." Andrea shot back sweetly, smirking when he sent her an I want to kill you right now look. "And it's wise to remember that the females in your family are all Daddy's little girls. They're particularly fierce when it comes to their father's well being whether it be physically or emotionally. In other words don't push your luck, baka." 

"Well it was pretty obvious that Mika was going to be a Daddy's girl, she's so much like Inu yasha." Kagome said quickly before a fight could break out which would lead to loud words that might set off Sesshoumaru or Sora or even both. 

"No kidding, it's scary how much they're alike. Mika is like Dad, Sora is like Uncle Sesshoumaru and Hermione is a lot like Uncle Kouga." Kyou agreed as he nodded his head, letting his mother distract him for the moment. "Then again all the women in our family are pretty tough and scary sometimes, even Rin and Hotaru." 

) 

"Since Hotaru apparently apologizes to everything she kills I can't quite see that." Inu yasha pointed out dryly, still just a little thrown off by Sora's warning. And Kyou was right, she'd meant it too. He must have really touched on a nerve for her to react that way. Just what memory did Sesshoumaru have that was so terrible? 

"True but you've never seen her in full fighting form, Dad. When Hotaru had to fight to get Link back she was downright Mika scary." Kyou said with a mock shiver. "And damn but she kicked ass that night. I didn't though because they made me fight this little girl and I knew mom would kill me if I kicked her obnoxious little butt." 

"It almost sounds like you guys were fighting a tournament with poor Link as a prize." Kagome said with a chuckle at the idea. 

"That's how it was, pretty much." Kyou agreed, perfectly serious. "It was only supposed to be a fight between Hotaru and this other chick but the woman was being beaten so badly she called on this old rule and got it turned into a ten person event, two groups of five duking it out for Link. It was pretty cool all in all though, gotta love cat fights...OWW!" Kyou yelped when Andrea's elbow connected with his side painfully. "That hurt, damn it." 

"Well duh, it was supposed to." 

"You're so mean to me." Kyou said with a hurt look on his face, his side really hurting now. "Why can't you ever hit like a regular, inexperienced and shy girl who'd never dream of raising her fist to anyone? Cause oww but my side hurts." 

) 

"Big baby." Was Andrea's opinion on the whole thing. Sometimes she couldn't get why she even liked the little idiot,. Really she couldn't. "And that wasn't even a real fight, it was more of a us crushing the opponents at the speed of light fight. There weren't any cat demons involved for that matter. The only one of us that got hurt was you because you refused to fight back." 

"The kid was half my size, a girl and had her hair in pigtails for Christ sake. What was I supposed to do, huh? Mom would have had my hide if I'd beat her up. You guys got the women and I got stuck with little Dennis Mitchell in female form. At least she was cuter then Margaret but that was all the more reason not to hit her." Kyou said as he made a face, this not a particular fun thing to remember about that night. "And I did win the match as you'll recall. One good bop to the head and the kid was out for the count. Dad taught me well." 

"And why exactly did you get stuck with the little girl?" Inu yasha wanted to know. 

"Well because in the eyes of bird demons men are the weak ones in comparison to women so they automatically stuck me with the weakest of their group, aka the little pigtailed pip squeak." Kyou said with a shrug. "Of course I preferred being in the audience with Link. I mean the guy was totally convinced Hotaru was gonna get her butt kicked but it's like I told him. The females in our family are mean and scary normally, throw in a full moon, their man being threatened and spring time and you're dealing with the scariest creatures known to man." 

) 

"I heard that, idiot." Sora called out and had Kyou going just a little paler then he was a second ago. 

"I'm gonna pay for that later. She'll tell Mika and then they'll never find my spleen after she rips it out." Kyou said with a man walking towards his death look that was a little too exaggerated. He knew his sister would never actually rip out his spleen but it was one of her favorite threats against him. Odds were she'd punch him in the side too though and she was even meaner then Andrea. 

"Wouldn't Hotaru have been weaker if it was a full moon?' Kagome asked under her breath so that Sesshoumaru wouldn't hear her. 

"Oh no, actually. We kids do the complete opposite of Dad in terms of the whole moon thing. We're nearly twice as strong on a full moon and a few days after depending on how much of the moon's rays we've soaked up." Kyou said with a cheerful look on his face, always glad to talk about something, especially if he actually knew something about the topic. 

"Wait a minute...so that would mean on full moons..Mika is twice as strong as she normally is." Inu yasha said slowly, a grin taking over his features. If Mika was tougher then any of Sesshoumaru's kids normally then she far surpassed them when it was full moon time. Oh but it just kept on getting better and better. 

"Lets not talk about Mika and full moons..gives me nightmares." Kyou said with a mock shudder. "Anyway I hope everyone in the future is good and kicking ass. Not to mention figuring out how the hell to get us home at the end of this." 

) 

Meanwhile in the Future 

"So Kiyoshi really thinks this place might exist?" Mina wanted to know as she read over her daughter's shoulder at the carefully copied out information in Kiyoshi's familiar hand. "Sounds like the stuff of folk lore made up by drunks with too much time and booze on their hands." 

"Well he wasn't sure of course, you can't be without going there but he said he got the story from several different sources and usually if it's made up then it varies from place to place as it's embellished." Hermione pointed out, pushing black hair out of her eyes and behind her pointed ears. "And apparently people have been sent to check it out and never came back so that would indicate there is something there anyway. Something powerful." 

"Which is why we should avoid it and look for some other way to get to the past." Shippou said with a shake of his head. "We can't help them if we're dead in some mountain range." 

"You're such a sissy. I'm going anyway." Mika said as she sent her older brother a I'm tougher then you are look. "If there's a chance we can get to the past and kill Ferio I'm in. That bastard's got a date with death and I intend to deliver him there personally." 

"You aren't in any condition to do any such thing. I'll remind you that when we left your keep Ronin was still down for the count and recovering and he's nearly a full demon." Ren said as he sent Mika a your a stupid idiot look. "And it's like Shippou said. We aren't any good to them dead." 

"Boy but the men in our families are just big babies." Hermione said as she smirked at Shippou and Ren before looking over at her mother with a gleam in her eyes. "Guess it will be us three girls going to this mountain to check it out. Works for me, no dumb boys slowing us down." 

) 

"I'll go too. If you guys are going." Aiden said quietly, sitting on a rock as he watched them argue. Never one to talk unless it was necessary he thought he should put in his vote before things really got out of hand. Personally he didn't think it was such a great idea but if the girls were going then he was going to. After all there were few girls in this world he could handle being around, he wasn't going to lose three of them if he could help it. Especially Hermione. Looking over his sketchbook to stare at her and pretend like he wasn't Aiden sighed as he watched a huge argument break out about who was allowed to go and who wasn't. Typical, so very typical. Hearing laughter Aiden looked over to see Dare standing slightly apart from the group like him, obviously finding the whole thing amusing. "Aren't you going to try to help them talk the girls out of it?" Aiden wanted to know as he closed his book and turned to face Dare instead. 

"As if anything I said would go through those thick skulls?" Dare replied with a chuckle and shake of his head. "Besides, with Mika and Aunt Mina along for the ride odds are it will be interesting at the very least." 

"Well that's true. I wish that Kiyoshi could have come back with us, but I understand why he stayed." Aiden said, understanding the shadow that had crossed Dare's face. They'd been all set to head out for a visit to the wolf demon tribe when Kiyoshi had arrived home with a not looking so good Nomi who had apparently been killed protecting the stupid wolves and then been brought to life again thanks to Kiyoshi's dagger which contained a splinter of his father's life giving sword. Nomi had been fine of course but Kiyoshi had insisted on staying there with her and no one had really argued. So Dare had come along in his brother's place to kick some bad guy butt instead of helping out at home. So instead it had been Dare, Hermione and himself that had headed off to Hermione's home where they'd found the wolf tribe still alive and thriving. Which was good even though he was sure everyone had hoped that they'd at least find Manta dead, as mean as that was. 

) 

"Yeah, but Nomi will be fine, she's too stubborn to die. I remember when she was little she told Kiyoshi that she was going to marry him and stay by his side till the day he died. The squirt just might pull it off too." Dare said with a chuckle. Nomi almost dying had obviously shook his older brother up, he'd never seen his brother be the one sticking to Nomi like glue instead of the other way around. That was good though, Dare wanted more nieces and nephews anyway. Nothing attracted good women like adorable kids after all and he was thinking maybe he should start looking for a wife. He wasn't getting any younger after all even though he'd look this good a hundred years from now. 

"Well here's hoping." Aiden agreed, thinking that his best friend was up to something. Then again when wasn't Dare up to something. 

"We've decided that Mom, Mika, Ren, Shippou and you two are all coming with us!" Hermione called out to Dare and Aiden who just shrugged their agreement. They were used to the bossy women in their families telling them what to do. 

"You two could have put in a little more input." Shippou said dryly as he walked over to give them a hard look. "They might have listened to you." 

"When do they ever listen to us?" Dare wanted to know. 

"Well there's a first time for everything." Shippou resorted grudgingly, not wanting to admit that they were likely right. He couldn't remember the last time he'd won an argument with any of the women he called family. At least when they were kids Mika, Hotaru and his female cousins had listened to him. Then they'd had to grow up and start telling him what to do. And they were really mean if they didn't get their way. 

) 

"And another time for them to beat us." Dare said with a good natured smirk, always having been one to go with the flow. After all the only female relatives he had to deal with on a regular basis were his grandmother, Mika and Hermione. Since he shared a building with Hermione and Mika it was kind of hard not to see them but Mika was a workaholic and rarely around which worked since she was the meanest of the female relations. Of course he had to visit his grandmother often but she always plied him with cookies and good stuff to eat, plus she was his grandmother and he loved her to pieces. No one was better at making you feel better then a doting grandmother with a true genius when it came to brownies. Of course he came home often to see his mom and sisters and the rest of the family but he didn't live with them anymore. Of course out of all his brothers he got along with the female species the best too. "So who's the poor bastard that's reporting to Kouga that his wife and beloved baby girl is going off to face unknown dangers in a perilous journey with no guarantees? Not to mention the fact that he'll be stuck watching the twins while they're grounded." 

) 

"Oh no, there is no way in hell you two are doing this and that's final." Kouga said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, glaring at his mate. "And don't even think of siccing Hermione on me because I swear if you do I'm going to steal your favorite leather jacket and shred it to pieces. Just see if I don't." 

"But if you did that I'd have to hurt you and you know how excited I get when you bleed." Mina said with a smirk on her face, more then capable of handling her mate. She'd been doing it for years after all. "And why can't we go? If it's about the twins then Hotaru said she'd be happy to help you watch the little monsters." 

"No it's not about the twins. It's about you and Hermione getting torn to shreds by some unknown demon army or sorcery. And yes I know you have yet to discover anything that can kill you but there's a first time for everything. Plus Hermione can be killed and Sesshoumaru won't be there to bring her back." 

"But all I would have to do is bring her corpse to him and he could fix it." Mina pointed out reasonably though the idea of carrying around her daughter's corpse didn't exactly sit well with her. She liked her baby fine and alive thank you very much. "And besides that who knows what this place will be like or if it even exists. We're just going to look and find out." 

) 

"And if it does exist you'll jump right in and to hell with whatever dangerous situations you might find yourself in." Kouga ranted, glaring at her now. 

"You know me too well. Does the fact that we're going with several others help though? I mean, when you think about it, the combination of Mika, Ren and I is a pretty dangerous combination. Especially when you consider the rest of the party isn't exactly made up of slackers either." 

"You aren't going and that's final." 

They were going. 


	25. Off to See the Past

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and plot ideas displayed in this and in my other works of fiction. Thank you to all those who have been reading and reviewing my fics and I hope very much that you enjoy and review again as I very much look forward to hearing from you. 

Off to See the Past 

The determined rescuers heading off it was quickly decided that in order to get to their destination as quickly as possible they'd take turns being vehicles. Those who had a much larger true form to turn into made excellent rides for those who couldn't and people who saw them would stare in amazement at the large beasts running past with people on their backs and a large white tiger close behind. The tiger was the third member of the three musketeers which was made up of Dare, Aiden and their beloved pet tiger Sonya. They'd met up with her about four years ago and though she stayed in the Feudal area she always seemed to know when they were around and found them with remarkable ease. The strangest thing about the cat though was that it never made a sound, not ever. It didn't even purr. But it loved the boys and they loved her in return. That was all that really mattered. 

"So how long is this likely going to take? To get there I mean?" Mika asked as she leaned back against the chest of her oldest brother, her eyes half closed sleepily. She was all worn out but too stubborn to fall asleep just yet. It was the principle of the thing. She had a rep to protect after all. Especially since Ren was there to see it slip. 

"We'll get there when we get there now go to sleep before I put you to sleep, squirt." Shippou threatened from behind her, an arm protectively around her waist in case she accidentally started to fall off Dare's back. 

"Go cough up a hairball." Mika snarled back halfheartedly, her eyes closing to mere slits. 

) 

"Mika, go to sleep now." Mina called over from Ren's back, her voice suggesting a great deal of pain and retribution if she wasn't obeyed. No one could sound scarier then Aunt Mina after all which everyone knew and as a result had a healthy fear and respect for her. 

"Yes, ma'am." Mika muttered and promptly went to sleep. 

"Nicely done." Aiden said with a chuckle from behind Shippou. That was Aunt Mina for you though. You didn't question her and you always did what she said no matter what. It was just safer that way. Well there were some people that questioned her like his Uncle Sesshoumaru and the water demons but that was only because they were just too prideful not to. They were too used to giving orders rather then following them. Plus Aunt Mina respected them too much to abuse them like she would everyone else. He himself had never gotten anything worse then a whack on the head but seeing her in action was enough to know how much worse it could be. Looking behind him to check on Sonya Aiden blinked then yelled in a loud voice. "Stop, you guys!" 

Everyone coming to a halt Dare and Ren turned around to see what had caused the need to stop and watched Sonya walking over between Sesshoumaru and Triton who'd unexpectedly joined the party from out of nowhere. Dare and Ren quickly walked over to meet them with everyone calling down greetings. 

"I think I've found a way to bring them and us back from the past after Ferio is destroyed." Triton said with his usual serious look on his face, getting right to the point. "In order for it to work though I must go back with you all to the past." 

"Well the more the merrier, especially if you'll make it that much easier to accomplish." Mina said with a shrug as she looked down at them from nearly two stories up. One didn't look down at the tall lord of the west or his son in law often. She was glad to see them both though since both were more then adequate in a fight and Sesshoumaru's sword would come in handy if any of them got themselves killed. "Care to climb aboard, boys?" 

) 

"It would be wiser to walk the next few hours on foot." Triton said with a thoughtful look on his face, always weighing and processing situations and ideas.. "There's a demon slaying community near here. If they see any of you in your true forms they'll attempt to kill first and ask questions later as there have been many attacks on that village recently. If we walk on foot in your usual false forms we'll be less likely to have to deal with them." 

"Okay." Shippou said knowing better then to question Triton. The guy just knew things. Things that there should have been no way he could know. He was always right too which was often annoying except when they got his help placing bets on things. Then he made them lots of money. Picking up Mika in his arms Shippou jumped off Dare's back with Aiden right behind him, both landing easily on their feet. When everyone was off Dare and Ren transformed to their regular forms and Dare walked over to walk beside his dad. 

"Still recovering from her most recent brush with death?" Sesshoumaru asked as he nodded to the still unconscious Mika who was happily dreaming away, protectively cradled in her big brother's arms. Normally his headstrong niece would have been alert and raring for a fight instead of passed out in la la land. 

"Yeah, she just gets worn out easier. Well that and she's been using most of what energy she has fighting with Ren as usual." Shippou said with a dark look in the wolf's direction. An over protective brother to say the least Shippou was at his worst when it came to people he felt were causing problems for his little baby sisters even though they were both actually fully grown and capable of taking care of themselves. Even though Mika was tougher and meaner then he'd ever been he still babied her whenever he got the chance which out of love she let him get away with. Hotaru thought it was cute that he still treated her like a child even though she was married with children of her own already. They both let him think he was getting his way. 

"Those two, fighting? Now who could have ever seen that coming?" Aiden commented with a smirk as he walked on Dare's other side, pleased when Sonya moved over to walk between them, her favorite place to be it seemed sometimes. "Good girl." Aiden murmured as he reached out to stroke her head, smiling a little when she nuzzled her head against his touch. Next to Dare Sonya was the only one he could tell everything to and she always made him feel better. A Hermione Granger to his Harry Potter, Aiden thought then had to force his smile to remain in place because thinking of Harry Potter made him start thinking of another Hermione who wasn't a fictional character. 

) 

"Good think he doesn't have a collar like Uncle Inu yasha or he'd spend all his time with his face in the dirt thanks to Mika." Hermione added with a grin as she walked over to stand beside Aiden, frowning slightly when she noticed he stopped smiling right away. Something had been bothering him recently but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what that something was. It was obviously related to her but she couldn't remember having done anything wrong. She'd asked and he'd just smiled it off but she knew he was hiding something. Dare wouldn't tell her and Sonya, unfortunately, couldn't either. 

"She'd have sent him farther then six feet under after there first meeting, that's for sure." Dare agreed as he looked over to the slumbering hell cat. "As it is she's nearly sent him there a few times." 

"Somehow I can't see that mellowing with age. Either of them." Triton said with a shake of his head having watched both Mika and Ren grow up over the years. The two had been bickering like an old married couple for as long as they'd known each other and it was down right ridiculous what they found the time to argue about. They'd argue about the color of the sky if they could. "Those two will be fighting till their last breaths." 

"And having a marvelous time doing it." Hermione said with a chuckle as she looked over at the bad tempered would who was arguing with her mother about something. Likely about his father's ideas to appoint Ren's younger brother into the wolf council as well as Ren. Then again she knew Ren didn't think his brother was smart enough to lead flea demons into battle much less his fellow wolves. "So, Uncle Sesshoumaru. How come you came? I thought you were going to stay at home?" 

"I decide to come in order to prevent my past self from killing Sango." Sesshoumaru replied, everyone gapping at him questioningly. "Knowing my past self I would be liable to kill her as soon as I found out I was going to take her as my mate. It's in everyone's best interests if I were there to intervene." 

) 

"Uhm..why would you..I mean the other you want to kill mom? I mean aside from the whole her being one of Uncle Inu yasha's friends thing." Dare wanted to know, having a feeling he really didn't want to know. 

"Because if Triton is correct as to what time line Ferio and the children are in then I would want to kill your mother because if she wasn't alive I'd never take her as my mate and produce you and your siblings. Children of impure blood." Sesshoumaru elaborated when he saw that his son wasn't getting it. "Think of how Manta views those of mixed blood and you have some idea of my views at that time." 

"Yeah, I can see how a babe like mom could make a guy rearrange his thinking a little bit." Dare said with a sober look on his face, now having another reason to want to go to the past. He needed to protect his mommy from his bad dad. That wasn't going to be fun, Dare thought with an inner wince. Cause his bad daddy was gonna be able to kick his ass pretty easy since he couldn't even beat his good dad on his best day. Well maybe with Sora and mommy's help they could pull it off but they couldn't kill bad dad either since he kinda needed bad dad alive so that he could become good dad. God it was so confusing. 

Lifting an eyebrow at his son for calling his mother a babe, Sesshoumaru simply shook his head at the whole thing. He'd long ago given up on trying to understand his youngest son and the way the boy's head worked. The human in him most likely. 

) 

"A whole bunch of humans are coming this way and they've got the stench of demon blood on them." Ren called out while Mina inhaled the smell of blood in the air like most women would inhale the perfume of a flower. She was weird that way. 

"The slayers." Triton said with his usual all knowing look on his face. "Fresh from battle and heading this way." 

"How many?" Sesshoumaru wanted to know. 

"Any one of us could handle them all on our own. two dozen at most." Triton said with a considering look. "It would still probably be in our best interests to try and settle this peacefully though. As easy as it would be to get through them they're likely the villages main protectors. We take them out and the women and children will have no one to protect them during the next demon attack." 

"I love the smell of fresh blood in the morning. Who needs coffee?" Mina said with an almost dreamy smile as she turned and looked over at the others questioningly, wondering what their game plan was going to be. This could get ugly if these slayers were on a roll and wanted to add a few more bodies to the death count. Especially since beating them all up would still make them useless in another attack. Not a good thing even if it would be their own dumb ass faults. "So I take we aren't going to kill them then. Pity." 

"I nominate either Triton or Aunt Mina to do the talking." Dare said as the scent of the slayers became stronger and stronger. Of the group they were the two who were most human like in appearance and could actually hold their tempers and appear reasonable. Well that and Mina could charm men into falling onto their own swords worse case scenario. 

) 

"They're all men. Mina would be the wiser choice." Triton pointed out. After all in his experience there wasn't a male that Mina couldn't wrap around her little finger when she wanted to. The sole exception would likely be Manta but than that would be more of a case of her having caused the idiot wolf too much physical damage to forget. 

"I'll do my best." Mina said with a purr as she smiled in anticipation. She loved making dumb idiots out of men. It was just so easy and so entertaining. 

"What's going on?" Mika said with a wide yawn as her eyes sleepily opened as she looked around her curiously. "I smelled blood and it destroyed my Orlando Bloom dream. Hi ya, Uncle Sesshoumaru, Triton. When did you guys get here?" She added absently with a small flap of her hand in the place of a proper wave. 

"Some demon slayers are headed our way and might be causing some problems. And they've been here for a while." Shippou said as he put her down, knowing she'd only let him carry her so long before she'd bop him on the head or worse. 

"Oh, okay." Mika said with a shrug, putting her hand over her mouth to stifle the next yawn while she blinked her golden eyes to wipe away the sleep. "So are we beating the crap out of these slayers or what?" 

"We're going to try to use our words first." Hermione said with a chuckle at her cousin's sleepy appearance. Mika always looked like a cute kid when she just woke up and wasn't awake enough to be mean or sarcastic yet. 

"I hate using my words." Was Mika's muttered reply as she wandered over to pet Sonya on the head then looked over at Dare questioningly. "By the way, are we there yet?" 

) 

"Nope and we should all kinda gather close maybe? You know, present a united front and all that?" Aiden suggested, noticing that they were sorta spread out or in a straight line. Ren wasn't near anyone period at the moment. 

"Good idea." Sesshoumaru agreed then started issuing orders of who went where. All but Ren and Mina were quick to fall into place but they good naturedly did so after a moment's pause. They were now in three lines, Sesshoumaru, Triton and Mina in front, Mika, Hermione, Aiden and Sonya were in the middle and Dare, Ren and Shippou were covering the back. Stopping to wait for their possible opponents they didn't have long to wait. From the forest path came a large group of men, five on horseback while the others ran on foot. It was obvious that the man in the middle was in charge, the other four men on horseback guarding him on both sides. They all slowed down when they saw the sight before them, many drawing their weapons and were only waiting for the order to attack. 

"My turn." Mine murmured as she broke away from the group and did her stuff. Her hips swaying as only Mina could and a come hither look in her emerald green eyes she had the slayers' attentions. The wind whipping through her long red hair she was quite the unusual sight in her open black leather trench coat and tight black pants, black leather ankle boots continuing the Matrix look as she swayed over before coming to a stop a few feet and pulling off an elegant bow that gave them a very nice view of her cleavage. "Milord. Are these your lands we travel upon?" Mina inquired as she slowly straightened, her eyes zeroing in on the guy she judged to be head dimwit. She could have killed them all by now. Walking forward again the men parted like the Dead Sea to let her through, Mina walking right up to the leader without an ounce of fear, her sheer presence making the men back off in wonder. 

) 

"They are." The leader said as he hastily cleared his throat. She was oddly dressed but she didn't strike him as a demon in disguise despite her travel companions. at least four of them had to be demons or at least with demon blood in them. If he'd been thinking rationally he might have suspected a trap but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off the stunningly beautiful creature before him. He'd never seen such perfection and it took all his mental power to remain coherent much less think rationally. 

"Well then we'd like your permission to continue on our way then." Mina purred as she fluttered her lashes at the idiot. "We haven't come here to cause trouble or even to hunt if that's a concern. We're simply traveling to nearby lands and this would be the quickest route." 

"You travel with demons, my dear lady." The leader pointed out gruffly, motioning in the direction of her family with the blade he'd drawn as they'd approached. 

"That is true, milord. The demon directly behind me with a mirror image slightly behind him is Sesshoumaru, Lord of the West who's...territory you happen to inhabit. Also with me is the daughter and son of the half demon Inu yasha and the feared priestess Kagome. As well we have a wind user, the oldest children of two of the heads of the nearby wolf clans and the youngest son of the demon slayer Sango. I really think you'll be wanting to let us through. We have no quarrel with you." Mina said with a knowing look in her eye, leaving out that she was the wife of one of the heads of the wolf tribe since learning she was married might make them harder to wrap around her little finger. "So will you let us through or do things have to get ugly?" 

A mental struggle going on the leader finally shook his head. "We have no quarrel with the Lord of the West or his kin. You may pass, expect to face your death should you attempt to harm any of the people on my lands." Normally he would have risen to the challenge so that he might have been able to boast to having killed the lord of the west but his men were worn from fighting and since these demons were with this beautiful creature how could they possibly cause any problems. 

"You're too kind." Mina said with a nod then heading back to rejoin the others. "Easy as pie." Mina said in a low voice as she rolled her eyes at her family before turning around to face the slayers again. "Shall we?" 


	26. Mission Not Impossible

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot ideas displayed here and in other fics written by me. Thanks to all those who've been reading and reviewing, I very much hope that you continue to do so cause I love hearing from you guys. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy this latest chapter. 

Mission Not Impossible 

"Doesn't that just make you ashamed to be a guy?" Mika said with a snicker as they started forward, the slayer party separating like the Dead Sea for Moses. Easy as pie and twice as sweet, Mika thought to herself. Men were just too easy. 

"They're human males. Stupidity is to be expected, Mika. Besides, if it had been you doing the talking they'd have attempted to remove that big head of yours from your shoulders after the first sentence." Ren said with a dark look as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. He certainly wouldn't have fallen for such an obvious ploy. 

"I could have had them eating out of my hand as easily as Aunt Mina did if I wanted to." Mika said with an equally dark look, sticking her tongue out at him for good measure. "Just because I prefer to bash heads in rather then soothe them doesn't mean I don't know how. I can wrap a guy around my finger easy. Demon OR human." 

"Ha. You couldn't even get a human male to blush unless it was with your crude language and unladylike behavior." Ren sneered, pleased when her eyes fired up dangerously. Direct hit all right. 

"Is that so, huh? Well then I guess I'll just have to prove you wrong, now won't I?" Mika said with a decisive nod of her head, determination and plain stubbornness coming into her eyes. She had a goal now and she was going to succeed if it killed people. 

) 

"Oh boy. I get the feeling this is not going to be pretty." Dare said with a shake of his head, past similar situations coming to mind with painful clarity. "Just don't get any of them trying to follow us okay, kid? Getting rid of them would be an unnecessary pain in the ass." 

"You think one of them would try?" Ren said, his tone full of surprise and disbelief. 

"Hell yes. Because you're so nasty to her you've never seen just how cute and cuddly she can be when she wants. All Daddy's little girls are." Dare said with a chuckle, not surprised in the least that Ren couldn't wrap the idea of Mika being attractive in that way around his head. After all she was always so busy pounding the hell out of the wolf. "They grow up with their fathers wrapped around their little fingers, Ren and as a result they know instinctively how to do the same to every other male they meet. They're scarier then Aunt Mina's main type because with a Daddy's girl they only pull out the stops when they really mean it. In other words they store up all their allure and feminine wiles until they unleash it all on one person. It's never a pretty sight to see what Daddy's girls do to grown men." 

"Ain't it the truth." Aiden said with a shake of his head, his face pained. "There is nothing scarier then the women in our family when it comes to getting their own way about something. Especially the Daddy's girls. I think that's why Aunt Mina is so lethal...she's a femme fatale AND a Daddy's girl." 

"Oh stop, you're going to make me blush." Mina called out with a delighted look on her face. My but the men in her life were just full of compliments today. "Let er rip, Mika." 

"With pleasure." Mika said with a grin and before Ren's amazed eyes she changed. Instead of her usual fast pace strides she was now moving in a graceful glide, her hips swaying slightly as if to a silent beat. She suddenly seemed smaller and she'd bowed her head slightly as if in submission. Her hand went into the pocket of her pants and Ren watched her finger something for a moment before "accidentally" dropping it at the feet of one of the slayers. 

) 

"Opps, my bracelet." Mika said in a softer, sweeter tone then usual, looking around as if to find it. Turning to face the slayer who'd picked it up for her with the biggest, cutest puppy dog eyes the world had ever seen she packed quite the punch of a different kind. All golden and shiny her eyes seemed to brim over with a sweetness and innocence that belonged in the eyes of a saintly nun rather then a demon hell raiser. "Thank you so much for picking it up for me. I would have been so upset if I'd lost it." 

"It was my honor, milady." The young man said, blushing as he struggled to look her in the eyes. She was so beautiful and delicate, so out of place among these demons she traveled with, he thought as he placed the bracelet in her fair hands. 

"You are too kind, good slayer. I wish you well in future hunts. It would be a great loss if we were not to meet again." Mika said as shyly as she could manage, looking up at him from beneath her lashes. Got ya hook line and sinker, sucker. 

"We need to hurry, Mika. It will soon be too dark to travel." Dare said, biting the inside of his lip so he wouldn't burst out laughing. The poor idiot was looking at Mika like he'd just discovered the greatest thing since the wheel. Boy was he ever off. 

"Our village is close by, you could rest nearby for safety. It would be our honor to oversee your protection." The slayer blurted out, having no authority to even offer such a thing. All he could think about was this frail creature out in the wilderness with only a few men to protect her from harm. Such a delicate flower shouldn't be put through the strain of such an undertaking. 

) 

"Oh I think I'm gonna be sick." Ren growled, glaring at Mika and the stupid human. What the hell was wrong with the idiot anyway? How could he not see that he was going all ga ga over a rabid hellcat with the personality of a cat demon in water? Mika wasn't someone to blush over, she was someone you ran away from as fast as you possibly could. And what was she thinking going all sweet and pretty like that? Why would she want to impress some stupid human anyway? They were nothing but wastes of air. This slayer especially. "Mika, quit yapping and lets get moving. We haven't got all day ya know." 

"How dare you speak to this sweet maiden in such a tone." The slayer said as he drew out his sword. "You will apologize to her this instant or I'll cut you down where you stand, demon." 

"Please, no violence." Mika said as she placed a hand on the slayer's shoulder, her eyes going all teary and upset like she found the idea of violence appalling. "Thank you for your service and kind offer but I must be going now. Do not mind him, he's a simple minded creature engaged to help my family on a mission of great importance. Pay him no mind, good sir." 

"Don't try and kill her." Dare warned under his breath with a restraining hand on Ren's shoulder, the muscles under his hand straining for movement. "Not now." 

"Goody bye then." Mika said with a slight bow and continued on her way, Ren fuming and everyone else amused by the fact that Ren was fuming. When they were a safe distance away Mika grinned and called out in a smug, sing song tone. "I told you so." 

) 

Meanwhile 

During the next few days Sesshoumaru couldn't shake the dream of his mother's death and would find himself thinking about it all the time. No matter what he tried he kept getting flashes, like someone was taunting him with the past in order to drive him insane. As a result Sango, Rin and Sora stuck to him like glue. He wasn't stupid, he was well aware of what they were doing but he needed the interruptions too much to care. They watched him like hawks and if he so much as looked strained or annoyed they'd start trying to engage him in conversation or in Sora's case siccing Kyou on his uncle. Kyou had always thought he had an unlimited amount of jokes and funny stories to tell but he was starting to have to scrap the bottom of the barrel in his uncle's case. Sango stuck to talking to him about demons, their various travels and his opinions on anything she could think of while Rin was more the hugging and chattering endlessly type, the trio working themselves ragged trying to help. Not that he'd ever express so much as a mumbled thanks. 

"He can't decide whether to lash out or be quietly grateful." Miroku commented as he watched Rin chatter away, Sesshoumaru ignoring the girl while Sango added a comment or two every time the girl stopped for air. "Jakken, what plagues him so?" Miroku added, looking over at the toad questioningly. "I don't mean to press on old wounds, I just wonder if there is anything we can do?" 

) 

"Other then kill Inu yasha there isn't much else." Jakken said wearily, too tired and worn to care what he should or shouldn't say anymore. "If only Master Sesshoumaru hadn't hesitated that day, then none of this would have happened. He'd have married some suitable demoness and had full blooded demon children and he'd have never met that stupid girl or that slayer." 

"Hesitated to do what?" Kyou asked, curiosity piqued. What had his uncle hesitated to do in the past that could have such a dramatic effect on history. As far as he knew his uncle had never hesitated in an attempt to kill his father and that would be the most understandable explanation. After all if his father were dead then Uncle Sesshoumaru would have never met Sango or be wounded and met Rin. 

"Kill Inu yasha. If he'd just followed my lady's instructions none of this would have ever happened." Jakken said with a heavy sigh, the memories as clear as yesterday. "It was so simple, he shouldn't have had even the slightest of problems. A human child could have pulled it off so perfect was the plan." 

"You're lady? You mean...Shesshoumaru's mother ordered him to kill me?" Inu yasha demanded to know though not loud enough to draw his brother's attention. He wasn't going to get any answers if Sesshoumaru interfered. "And what do ya mean child's play? I kick your butt easily enough, toad." 

) 

"You were only a baby then. Easily gotten rid of." Jakken sneered, wishing that his lady had sent him instead. He'd have got the job done and even if by some miracle it hadn't he would have gladly taken the beating in his master's place. 

"She sent him to kill Inu yasha when he was only a baby?" Kagome said in horror, trying to imagine a woman who would send her son, a child himself, to kill his baby brother. "What kind of a monster was she?" Kagome whispered, not even realizing she'd said her thoughts out loud. 

"A most enraged and bitter one." Came a small voice and everyone looked over to see Miyoga resting on Inu yasha's shoulders, his pack slugged over his small shoulder. The little demon looked quite worn out and worse for the wear too. 

"You!" Jakken snarled, glaring at the flea with extreme dislike. The lazy coward was a disgrace to all demons and especially to his master's home. "I see that someone hasn't trampled your small body yet. More the pity." 

"And hello to you too. And as I was saying, Kagome, Sesshoumaru's mother wasn't so much a monster as a very wounded creature. If you've ever seen an animal that's hurt and abused you know it isn't really surprising when they lash out at anyone who comes near, especially those they blame for their pain. She was a cool and ridged woman before she married our lord and she only grew worse once she learned of the master's involvement with Inu yasha's mother." The flea demon said with a sigh, this story not at all a pretty one, he thought as he lay back in exhaustion from his long journey to find Master Inu yasha. "Much of her hatred was taken out on Lord Sesshoumaru, I'm afraid and she filled his head with much of her hatred and pain." 

) 

"Don't speak ill of my lady or face my wrath, flea." Jakken snarled, pointing the heads on his staff in Miyoga's direction. 

"So says the one who used to bind his wounds and help drag his unconscious body from her rooms after she was done beating him half to death while our master was away." Miyoga snapped back, not intimidated at the moment since he was safe enough on Inu yasha's shoulders. Worse came to worse Kagome's were in easy jumping distance. 

"She use to...beat him?" Inu yasha repeated, his eyes wide as he turned his head to look behind him, his older brother looking as indestructible and tough as always. But when he was a child, against a fully grown demon who was his own mother..what chance would he have had? He'd never really ever even thought about his brother as a child period. He'd always been this tall, strong, imposing, full grown demon. 

"Does that have anything to do with the secrecy behind her death?" Kouga wanted to know as he tried to picture the now great lord of the west being a helpless pup and just couldn't see it. Seeing the others looking at him questioningly he expanded. "Word simply went out that the Lady of the West was dead, no details to cause were given and there was talk about it being by foul means." 

Sensing his brother's gaze Sesshoumaru met Inu yasha's gaze and the two stared at each other for a moment, golden eyes searching and not finding anything but a sense that something had changed and not knowing for sure what that something was. "Something you want?" Sesshoumaru finally asked, his eyes narrowing when he sensed the new presence to the group. The flea had arrived. "Miyoga." 

) 

"Lord Sesshoumaru." Miyoga said with a bow, envisioning being squished into nothing by his older lord's mere thumb. Unlike his lord's mother Miyoga had never seen Sesshoumaru give into true rage but in his mind that made him that much more dangerous. Especially in his case. 

Tempted to tell on the flea Jakken only held his tongue because he was starting to realize he'd said a few things that his lord wouldn't appreciate either. He wasn't going to die just for the satisfaction of knowing the flea would die too. 

"Have you come for a free meal before you run and hide?" Kyou wanted to know with a chuckle, laughing when the flea spun around to stare at him like he'd seen a ghost. 

"This is my son from the future, flea." Inu yasha said dryly before the idiot flea could ask. "The girl that walks near Sesshoumaru is his daughter from the future." 

"From the future you say?" Miyoga said as he looked from Kyou to Sora and back again for a few times. The resemblances were startling to say the least. He must be more tired then he thought to have missed it much less their presence. "Well then it's a pleasure to meet you both. I hope I'm still around in your time?" 

"That you are." Kyou said with a smirk. After all it was hard to die when you ran away at the first signs of danger every time, he mentally added with a grin. 

"Miyoga." Sora said with a regal nod of her head, familiar with the flea demon. An occasional family annoyance he also carried a wealth of knowledge that could come in handy on rare occasions. "What brings you here? Running away from your fiancee again?" 

"Not this time no." Miyoga said with a weary sigh, taking the girl's question to mean the stubborn woman was going to still be chasing after him into the known future. "I had heard tell that my lords were traveling together in the area on a mission against some strange demon force. I sought you all out to see if I could be of service in anyway. Is it the cats again? I thought we had dealt with them well enough the last time." 

) 

"You mean Sesshoumaru and I dealt with them. You weren't exactly around to lend support, Miyoga." Inu yasha pointed out as he looked down at the flea with a you're a worthless waste of air look. "And no, we're looking for a demon from the future named Ferio." 

"That name means nothing to me." Miyoga said after a thoughtful pause as he tried to remember hearing that name before. "He must be very powerful if you're all joining up for...Lord Sesshoumaru...are you chained to Lady Sango?" 

"You would be wise to leave that topic alone." Sesshoumaru said in a reasonable and altogether chilling tone of voice. "And Sora tells me he doesn't appear until well into the distant future, you would have no knowledge of this creature." 

"Of course, Lord Sesshoumaru." Miyoga said, bobbing his head up and down quickly to show his understanding. He'd have to ask Lady Kagome about it later on when they were out of Lord Sesshoumaru's hearing. "So where exactly are we heading?" 

"We're heading to the Styx River." Kagome replied as she shifted the strap of her pack on her shoulder. "Apparently those are old stomping grounds for him and a place he'd know well. Better to stick with what you know, especially in his case." 

) 

"I can't imagine that Lord Terrain appreciates that. He rules that area you see and he's quite the ruthless and bloodthirsty demon. It's a wonder he didn't destroy the demon in your time." Miyoga commented, looking over at Kyou with a questioning look. 

"He wasn't alive to attempt it." Kyou said in a cold tone so close to his uncle that everyone looked at him in surprise, the tone not at all suited to Kyou's character. But then again Terrain had played a role in shaping Kyou that couldn't be ignored or pleasant. The lord had indeed been a most heartless and ruthless demon while he'd lived. 

"Who rules those lands then? He has no sons." Jakken wanted to know, wondering who could have killed the demon. His master was of course stronger but other then his master he knew few who could, much less would have wanted to take on Lord Terrain. They were prime lands as well, he'd imagine there would be quite the fight for ownership once the demon had died. 

"We do." Sora said coolly, the topic as sore a one for her as it was to Kyou. There were few people outside of their families who'd made more of an impression on their lives then Terrain. "We claimed it and most of the lands near it. There weren't many left alive in that area to even think about fighting for ownership, not that any of the survivors were in any hurry to try." 


	27. Kyou's Stories Part 2

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot ideas displayed here and in other fics written by me. Thanks to all those who've been reading and reviewing, I very much hope that you continue to do so cause I love hearing from you guys. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy this latest chapter. 

Kyou's Stories Part 2 

"Hello again, readers. Yes it's me, that incredibly handsome and available quarter demon Kyou that you ladies have been missing something fierce. Well no need to fear because I'm back and with plenty more stories and explanations to give." 

"One, you aren't handsome, two you're available because no one wants you and three I doubt very much you were missed, baka." 

"Shut up, Andrea! This is my turn to tell stories, you aren't allowed in this chapter unless I decided to talk about you and why would I want to do that? Now go away and scare small children with that face of yours." 

"You're cruising for a facial from my fist." 

"Only simple minded idiots solve everything with fighting, Andrea so who's the baka huh? Now if you'll excuse me I had one of my lovely ladies request to be informed about how Hotaru met Linc given the geographical differences." 

"Yeah and you like the sound of your own voice way too much." 

) 

"Everyone just ignore her, she likely just woke up on the wrong side of the riverbank this morning. Anyway to answer my lady Kisha's question, a very good question I might add, I shall begin at the beginning which is always a good place to start. It's true that Linc's kind generally live in mountain areas, as far up as they can manage since they've evolved over time to require little oxygen to breath. This evolution spawned from their biggest goal at the time which was to keep as far away from us land demons as possible. As its been explained before Linc's culture is a matriarchal one which means that females have top places in society and rule the roost. During the time of this story the head of his tribe was very upset since her favorite son's wife was pregnant. Now normally this would be a cause of celebration but Arwen, that was the woman's name, came from a long line of women who died in childbirth. Arwen herself had barely been saved from her mother's womb and it was feared by everyone that she would die, the babe as well. The healers of the tribe didn't know what to do but one of them had an idea that involved a herb found only in a certain area in a nearby valley. Linc, who was the healer's son, was sent to get it. So while he was in the valley he-" 

"Kyou, you forgot to explain the wings thing." 

"What wings thing? And I told you not to interrupt, Andrea." 

"What the idiot forgot to explain was that Linc's kind have wings but that they can retract them into their backs, giving them the appearance of mere human mortals. This way they can come down from the mountains with no one the wiser as to their true identities. Retracting their wings is painful though so they don't do it without good reason." 

) 

"Thank you, Miss Know it All. Anyway, as I was saying Linc came down and retracting his wings went to work looking for the herb. While he was there he encountered a young human boy looking for some herbs as well. Since the boy was inexperienced Linc helped him and during the conversation the boy told him all about this great healer known as Hotaru, the daughter of a demon and a priestess with mystical and great healing powers. The boy told him all sorts of stories about my sister and when Linc returned to his tribe he asked if it might be possible to seek this healer's help, that perhaps she would be able to suggest something that would help. No one liked the idea but in the end the queen gave Linc permission to seek this healer out if he could find her. Everyone was convinced he'd get himself killed doing it but thanks to asking the right people for directions he found his way to the slayers village which is where we all lived at the time. Of course none of us guys liked the idea of Hotaru going off with this strange guy but the girls all thought that he was as harmless as a puppy and twice as adorable so they were all for it. In the end it was decided that she could go but that Wufei had to go too. So the three of them set off and when she got there Hotaru quickly clued into what was wrong and-" 

"What was wrong?" 

"Andrea...I told you not to...Nevermind, I give up. The reason the women in Arwen's family kept dying in child birth was that they were all really small in stature and for some reason twins ran in the family really, really often. In other words they had a hard enough time having the first one, the second one would usually do them both in." 

) 

"That makes sense. Oh yeah, I remember now. So then Hotaru brought in that Doctor Mike that was one of her professors at Harvard to help with the birthing and C section. Doctor Mike was already in the Feudal Era since she was married to one of the human lords Hotaru had introduced her to. The lord who wanted to marry Lady Sango." 

"Yeah. He was still waiting for her even after she married Uncle Sesshoumaru but then he got hurt and met Doctor Mike. The wounds were so bad that Hotaru had to call in reinforcements and actually bring a doctor from my mom's world here. It all worked out though in the end since the doc fell for him too and didn't mind living in this time and giving up her own life back in her world. And you've got me all side tracked, Andrea! Damn it!" 

"Not my fault you can't hold a thought for long." 

"Shut up! Where was I? Damn it I can't remember where I was...yes I do! Anyway so Hotaru and Doctor Mike saved Arwen and the twins she was carrying and everyone was really thankful. They were so thankful they gave Linc to her. Not as a husband of course but as an assistant and general servant for the rest of his life. Of course Hotaru wouldn't hear of it but they all insisted and Linc insisted so she finally broke down and took him home with her. So everything was good cause now Linc was with Hotaru and he could help her and stuff. Love was in the air soon enough but both of them were too stupid to see it since they're both clueless about that sort of thing. Then however his mother got sick so Hotaru sent him to go visit and while he was there he caught the eye of the evil Persphone." 

"Why do you call her evil? She wasn't evil, Kyou. She just saw the finest example of the male species I have ever seen in my over two hundred years and decided she wanted him for her third mate." 

"He isn't that good looking. Besides she said she'd declare war on his tribe if they didn't hand him over to her. That's evil in my books. And he isn't that good looking. He has a girlie build and his hair is too long. He isn't all that." 

"Jealous much?" 

"Shut up. And he isn't!" 

) 

"Sure he isn't. Now are you going to keep telling the story or do I need to take over, dog boy?" 

"Shut up, you stupid water demoness. Women, nothing but trouble. Anyway before Andrea started interrupting me again I was saying that the evil Persphone was threatening to destroy his tribe if he didn't let her get her pointy claws into him. You see Persphone's tribe was a lot bigger and more war oriented, think winged Amazons on steroids and you've got a general idea. So they sent another male back to Hotaru to replace Linc with an apology for the switch and of course once she found out she was really upset since she loved him and all." 

"But then instead of finding pity from her female relations she was told by all of them that she was being an idiot and that she should go fight for her man. And, Kyou, before you tell me to shut up I'd like to point out that I was there and you weren't so it's your turn to shut up." 

"Bite me." 

"I will. So anyway we finally got through to Hotaru by pointing out that Linc was being sacrificed to this woman and that if she cared she should at least help him. So then Hotaru, Sora, Mika, Rin and I set out to get him back. Unfortunately we passed idiot dog boy here on the way and he insisted on tagging along." 

"Which means that I can take over again since I was there too. So we get there and all seems grim until Arwen pointed out that Hotaru could fight for the right of ownership. So she did and kicked serious but thanks to the fact that it was a full moon and everything." 

) 

"Now you need to explain why full moons are a good thing. After all if these people pay attention to the stories of your father's exploits they're going to wonder why the moon isn't your enemy as well." 

"I was getting to that, woman! Geez, always interrupting me when I'm talking. It's no wonder that you can't get a man..." CRASH, BANG. SCREAMS. 

"Well that'll shut him up for a while. For the rest of this chapter I'll be doing all the talking since I've just put Kyou to sleep. Unfortunately not permanently. Now where was he? Ah yes, I remember now. Just as the passing phases of the moon effects Lord Inu yasha the cycle also effects the children of his and his brother's pups. During the full moon their children all become full demons in terms of strength, power and in some cases appearance. In other words even Hotaru can be as dangerous as Mika during a full moon. That being the case you can understand why everyone avoids Mika during a full moon. They can also absorb the rays of the moon so that the moon's effects can continue on for several days before fading away. So given her added strength as well as the strength of her love for Linc it isn't hard to guess that she thoroughly kicked Persphone's butt. It didn't end there though since she called this ancient tradition of making it a five on five match. Unwisely assume that Rin and I were humans they picked us to fight alongside Hotaru as well as Kyou and Sora. Then we beat them all up and Hotaru got her man and the rest as one would say is history." 

) 

"Andrea? Have you seen...Why is Kyou on the ground? Oh no! He's bleeding. Kyou! Kyou! Speak to me!" 

"Calm down, Hotaru. He's fine. I didn't hit him that hard. And before you ask he really did deserve it." 

"Oh. Well what are you doing then? I thought I heard you talking to-oh my..so many people. Hello there. I'm so sorry to interrupt." 

"Don't be, we were just talking about you and Linc. One of the readers wrote in and asked if we'd explain how the two of you met. It took a lot longer then it should have because of the dumb idiot though." 

"They wanted to know about Linc and I? Why ever would they want to hear about that? I mean it's a pretty boring story. I can't see anyone finding it interesting." 

"Hotaru...yours is one of the most unusual stories of romance I have ever heard. We only told them an overview too. Had we the time we would have gone into detail and spent chapters telling them all about what happened and just how unusual your courtship of each other was." 

"Oh. Well I guess maybe to some people it might be unusual. What was the name of the lady who asked about Linc and I? I should write her a nice letter thanking her for her interest." 

"Her name was Kisha I believe." 

"That's a lovely name. I'll have to remember it. It reminds me of that girl from the Magic School Bus." 

"The Magic School Bus?" 

"Yes, it was a wonderful show that I watched a lot when I was at Harvard. It's all about this delightful bus that can turn into just about anything. The driver of the bus is a wonderful teacher named Miss. Frizzle who takes her children on the most wonderful adventures. The children were quite interesting as well from boisterous Wanda to poor Arnold and his mallow bars." 

) 

"I'm not going to ask. Speaking of ask I likely should tell another story since there's still at least two pages of this to fill yet." 

"Well did anyone else ask for an explanation for anything else? It would be rude not to answer them too." 

"Well there were a couple of requests for a more in-depth explanation about Lord Terrain and what he did to our family but since I wasn't there I don't feel I'm the person to tell it. Besides, that isn't exactly someone one wants to talk about. I mean what if someone is eating while they've reading?" 

"Well what if we were to give a very brief summary of it and then ask the readers whether they want a more in-depth explanation of what happened? If they want to know then we can see to it that they hear the whole story and not just a quick summary." 

"That's a good idea, Hotaru. Okay then, that's what we'll do. Basically Lord Terrain was irked at Lord Sesshoumaru for betraying his blood lines and several other small incidents that I really know nothing about. As a result Terrain decided to get rid of Lord Sesshoumaru by leading him into a trap with his children as bait. Terrain kidnapped Ronin, Kiyoshi, Sora, Kyou and Aiden, Dare and Nomi were able to get away to tell everyone what had happened. Lord Inu yasha and Lord Sesshoumaru of course went after him as well as the women of the family, Lord Kohaku and my sister. If you want to hear more you have only to ask." 

) 

"Isn't that a little brief, Andrea? Shouldn't we at least mention the terrible things Terrain did and the battles? It doesn't seem right not to mention them. All those lives lost, they deserve recognition." 

"Well if we do that then it will take ten pages to explain things, Hotaru. It's a very long and complicated story if one wants it to be told right. Besides the dead don't deserve to have their story told unless as a warning to those who would mean our family harm. Plus as it is we only have a page left to talk about something." 

"What are you going to talk about for the rest of this page then?" 

"How stupid your brother is and why he shouldn't be allowed to breed?" 

"That's not nice at all, Andrea. Was there anything else someone wanted clarification about? I mean we are a pretty big family and people must be finding it hard to keep all of us straight. I know I'd find it most difficult if I hadn't grown up with everyone." 

"Hmm..that gives me an idea. Why don't you explain to them about you all living in the slayer's village. After all they would only know it as an empty village with a graveyard full of fallen slayers with Lady Sango being the only living survivor." 

"I don't know, I mean would they really want to hear me talk about something? I'm sure I'd just make a mess out of it all." 

"Nonsense, I'm sure they'd love to hear you tell it and I'll help if you get stuck." 

) 

"Well all right, I guess. If you'll help then I guess I could. Well it really all started with Naraku dead and the need to travel having been eliminated since the shards had been found and put back together. Since mother was expecting me and Aunt Sango wanted help repairing her village my parents decided to settle there for the time being and began to help Sango rebuild. Of course word soon got out that the village of slayers was being rebuilt and want to be slayers came to train and live there, to bring the village back to its former glory and reputation. That's where Uncle Miroku met Aunt Emerade in fact. Her father had been a slayer and good friends with Sango's father so she of course came to help Sango out when word came of what she was doing. Oh and I should add that Uncle Sesshoumaru was working on making a home for himself and his family near the village since he didn't want to live with humans, much less my daddy since he and daddy still didn't like each other so much back then. Soon the village was back to its former glory and flourishing with slayers and people who wanted to live there since it was so much safer, especially when you had the most fear of demons as a sort of over lord. A lot of people were a little confused at the idea of demon slayers being protected by a demon." 

"Yeah, I can see how that would get a little confusing." 

"Yeah but he didn't come to the village much for the first decade or so, only when Aunt Sango or one of my cousins dragged him along. He made people a little anxious though not any more of course. Now they know that he isn't there to tear them to shreds or something. They had some problems with my daddy too when they first met him but soon we were one big, happy villages. Speaking of which I need to get back to help mom. Thank you so much for listening and I hope you very much enjoy these stories. Bye bye!" 

"I guess I should be going too. Till we meet again may your days be bright and without annoying dog demon idiots. Mine certainly won't." 

) 

Dear, Lady Kisha 

Thank you very much for showing an interest in myself and Linc, we're both very flattered that you would be interested enough to ask about us. I hope that this finds you well and that you're enjoying this story about my family, I would think so if you're still reading it. Well I have children to keep in line and people to help so I have to be going but I hope very much that you continue to read and enjoy. 

Best Wishes, 

Hotaru and family 


	28. Tests To Pass

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and plot ideas I come up with. Thanks for reading and have a great day everyone.

Tests To Pass

"Hey, Dad. What's the scariest thing you've ever seen?" Kyou wanted to know, dragging his feet more then a little. He was tired and hungry and he knew they weren't stopping any time soon. His relatives were such machines sometimes. Even the completely human ones. He'd imagine they wouldn't stop until one of the kids complained and since both of them were being carried... Well he wasn't going to get to sit down any time soon.

"Your mother before an exam." Was Inu yasha reply before cursing when his mate smacked him upside the head. "Damn it, woman."

"Watch your language or you're biting the dust, pal." Kagome warned as she glared at him. "And I do mean hard."

"What's the scariest thing you've ever seen, Sora?" Rin wanted to know from Sango's arms where she was resting comfortably with her head on the slayer's shoulders. She didn't want Kagome and Inu yasha to fight so she figured changing the subject would be a good idea.

"The scariest thing?" Sora repeated, her expression thoughtful as she turned the question around in her mind. "I guess that would have to be my mother's face when she faced off against Lord Terrain in his courtyard." Sora admitted honestly, not wanting to lie to her sister.

"What the hell were you doing facing off against Terrain?" Sesshoumaru demanded to know as he glared at Sango. "Are you out of your mind? He would crush you like a bug. Flick you off like a piece of lint."

"First of all I haven't done it yet and second of all he couldn't be all that since I lived." Sango shot back, the two not even noticing the looks on everyone elses faces. Apparently they weren't used to the idea of Sesshoumaru and Sango being a couple, much less that the two had accepted it. "And if my face was the scariest thing our daughter has ever seen then I had to be pretty damn pissed at the time. You've never seen me fight when I'm pissed off and I guarentee you I'm far from a mere bug no matter how strong the demon."

* * *

"She did win, Uncle Sesshoumaru. I never actually saw the corpse since I wasn't born yet but Shippou said that after, when Dad and you saw what she and mom had done to the guy..well apparently you both said that your women were the meanest, most vindictive creatures the gods had ever created." Kyou chimed in with a smirk.

"Wow. What did Sango and I do to this guy?" Kagome wanted to know, not sure how to take what her mate and his brother had apparently said about her. "And for that matter..why?"

"Well Lady Sango broke about every bone in his body between the shoulders and his hips...and you poured flesh eating poison down his throat." Andrea said with a casual shrug like that was no big a deal. "And that creature's death and the way he died was deserving of his crime."

"You said yesterday that we held possession of Terrain's lands in your time. This is why?" Sesshoumaru wanted to know. When he'd tried to get more information the day before his daughter had been ellusive enough to catch his attention.

"Yes." Sora said with a nod. "That day most everyone even remotely connected to him died."

"As they should have. Poor Aiden can't even walk around in the sun without a shirt on." Kyou muttered under his breath, talking about those couple days having always put him into a poor mood.

"Something happened to my son?" Miroku demanded to know having caught Kyou's muttering.

"Ronin and Kiyoshi's wounds healed almost completely due to their demon blood. Aiden didn't have that advantage." Andrea explained before Sora could change the topic. "The flesh eating poison that Terrain was made to consume had been used by his men hours before and applied to their backs curtesy of whips."

"Those son of bitches!" Miroku snarled.

"Someone...applied whips..to the backs of two of my sons?" Sesshoumaru said slowly, his eyes going glacial as they arrowed into his daughter's, commanding that the response come from her. He knew well what the lash of a whip felt like, just as he knew what it was to be beaten within an inch of your life so he could well imagine the pain they'd experienced. "How old were they?"

"Yes. But mother decapitated them." Sora said with a sinking feeling. Lord Terrain was going to die a lot sooner now. "And they were both around ten."

"Sesshoumaru." Sango said slowly, drawing out his name as her eyes flashed with heat and barely concealed rage. "After we kill Ferio...we are going to this son of a bitch's place and we are killing everyone there in the most torturous and painful ways you can possibly devise."

"Agreed."

* * *

Meanwhile

Having been walking around in a greyish fog for a while the group came to a stop when they were faced with two large stones, standing upright and looked to be about two stories high. The reason they stopped though was the voice that spoke to them in a soft and feminine voice.

"You are approaching the Gateway to the Entrance of Chance. If you are faint of heart or seek what is within for selfish reasons..turn back now while your lives are still your own."

"We have no intention of turning around." Sesshoumaru called out, unable to sense where the voice was coming from.

"Then before you enter you may chose to bring with you three that are not here. They may each help you with a task. You must give me the order of their arrivals will be chosen by us. After their task they will be returned to where ever they were taken from. What are the names?"

Everyone hudling together the names were tossed around before Sesshoumaru called out the answers. "We ask that the three be my eldest son Kohaku, my brother Inu yasha and my daughter Sora." Keelie or Rin would have been a better choice then Sora in all honesty but they needed to know what the situation was like in the past.

"Fine. For your first task then. Inu yasha." The voice announced and in a blinding light Inu yasha appeared, only looking surprised for a moment before walking over to join the group. "You may now enter the gate. Your first task will prove your worth as a person. You will not fight, instead those who have gone before you will fight and attack you..depending on their view of you. Your fates will depend upon both the allies and the enemies you have made in your time."

* * *

"Running into problems already?" Inu yasha wanted to know with a faint smirk before going serious. "This first task thing...it doesn't sound like a winnable one. We all have killed a lot more demons then we've helped. The humans won't be much use."

"Regardless we must proceed." Sesshoumaru said with a faint scold. This was not a task he'd expected. Nor would it be one that would necessarily go their way.

"We'll have the slayers of mother's village...that's something at least. Plus Shippou's parents and Kaede." Dare pointed out, ever the droll optimist. "Maybe Kikyo will even lend a hand."

"If she does..no ones mentioning that to Kagome." Inu yasha commanded, not even wanting to think about what Kagome would say if they told her that Kikyo had been involved in all this. Fact was Kikyo could just as likely be against them as for them. Either way hers was a name better left unsaid. Just in case.

"Well we won't know until we get in there." Mina pointed out and started forward, the rest following after her as they walked through the gate.

At first everything was dark and then things began to glow a decidedly goulish light. white shadows began to appear all around them that changed into faces some knew and others they didn't. A large number of them were dressed in the garbs of slayers, suggesting they were likely the fallen slayers that had once populated Sango's home. There were people dressed from Kagome's world, Inu yasha recognizing Kagome's father and grandmother from their pictures.

"Kaede!" Mika called out as she waved wildly to the priestess who's suddenly appeared on her right then bit back a gasp when a woman that had to be Kikyo joined Kaede's side.

"Lord Sesshoumaru." Came a familar voice from above and everyone looked up to see Kagura hovering above on her feather with her fan at the ready. "We are all at your service."

"Thank you for taking in our son as your own." Came a male voice and Inu yasha looked over to see a couple, the male looking too much like Shippou for this not to be the boy's father. "We are forever in your debt."

"Father..Mother." Shippou choked out, reaching out a hand to them and though his fingers passed through them he smiled back at them.

"Here they come." Hermione said as she pointed in front of them where other shapes were beginning to appear. The shapes taking on the forms of former enemies of the past, some long dead the battle was soon on with ghosts fighting ghosts. Forced to watch from the side lines as this wasn't their fight to win they all had to contend themselves with cheering for their various champions.

* * *

"Ouch, that's gotta hurt. Way to stick it to him, slayers! Guess that'll teach the bastard to destroy your village and enslave Kohaku! Man but Kaede is a good shot, gotta love those snakey things of Kikyo's too. At least when they aren't attacking you personally." Shippou said as he kept up a running commentary as the fight went back and forth. As a whole there were a hell of a lot more bad guys then good guys but they had some serious ass kickers on their side.

"Hey..Dare?" Ren said quietly as he looked around with a faintly confused look on his face. "I was just noticing...well Shippou's parents are here and so is your mother's family and...well where's your father's parents? If his father was here this fight would likely already be won."

"Maybe he's on the opposing side." Mika said with a resigned look on her face. "I mean family never was high on the bastard's list."

"Well that's a lovely thought." Dare said with a why did you have to go and say something like that look on his face. "You know that as soon as you say something like that it's going to happen, if only to spite us. And damn it but I had a date with a really hot blonde lined up for next Thursday."

Ten minutes later the battle was over or at least it seemed so since the figures around them disapated in front of them and then there was nothing but a faint light in front of them. "Uhmmmm..do you think that means we can move?" Aiden said with a cautious look around. "I mean shouldn't there be a voice or some sign that we won or lost?"

"Well there's only one way to find out." Mina said with a shrug, starting forward then stopping as she saw that while the light in front of them was getting bigger there was also something standing in the light. Or someone was more accurate she realized. She couldn't make out who it was but there was definitely someone walking towards them, the light not bright enough to help identify their remaining surprise.

"I've got a bad feeling about this one." Hermione said as they all continued to walk forward though they never seemed to be getting any closer.

"Who do you suppose it is?" Dare said as he looked over at Aiden who just shrugged. "Whoever it is isn't very tall." Dare said thoughtfully, his head tilted slightly to the side. "And I'm getting a definite female vibe here."

"There is great pain and anger in this being." Triton said as his eyes blurred slightly as he used his powers to prod this being who was giving off such a violent aura. "This one is consumed with hatred and vengence...yet I sense it is not directed at anyone here though she bears hatred for you...Lord Sesshoumaru as well as...disgust for the children."

"I was wondering when she'd show up." Sesshoumaru said after a moment's pause. All during the ghostly battle he'd expected to see her attacking them but to his relief she hadn't appeared. He should have known they'd save her for last.

"You know who it is?" Mina said with a questioning look on her face, wondering who it was that could make Sesshoumaru's eyes that way. They were the strangest combination of fear, resignation, hope and hate.

"My mother."

* * *

"Sesshoumaru." Came the voice finally only it was no longer the soft voice from before. Instead this voice was full of anger, rage and loathing. "Well, well, well. Look what has become of my son, the Great Lord of the West. Could you have fallen any futher, I wonder? It doesn't seem possible."

"In my own eyes yes, while in yours not likely." Sesshoumaru said carefully, reining in what emotion he had left for her. Were this a couple decades ago the mere thought, much less sight of her would have brought the old fears and self hate back, threatening to drown him in their dark voids. But Sango and his children had made him see himself through their eyes and though her words and actions still pained him they were no longer open wounds for her to prod easily.

"Mated with a filthy, disgusting human, a slayer of our kind! Then, oh then you went and contaminated our blood further by actually producing children! Foul, un natural little abominations! You have reduced our line to nothing but weak, pathetic half breeds who don't deserve to breath the same air as the humans. They're worse then humans. Humans at least know their place. But what would one expect from you. You were always weak. Pathetic and as useless as any human. No one but a human would want a stupid, incompetent disgrace like you. You aren't fit to be called a demon, much less a lord."

"Oh you are going down, bitch." Dare said as he started forward, only to be stopped by his father's hand on his shoulder.

"Say what you will, mother. Just let us through." Sesshoumaru said calmly, as calmly as he could manage at that moment. Every drop of blood in his veins screamed to defend his family but he could never defend himself, much less his family from her. Besides, this wasn't what needed to be done. Nothing he said would change her mind. "She'll only feed on the negative, there's no use arguing with her either. I know."

"You're the pathetic one. You couldn't keep your mate in line, you arrogant bitch." Mika called out, her eyes flashing dangerously. Unlike her uncle she had no idea what she was dealing with. "And for your information no one wanted you. Not even if you could have found a human who was blind, deaf and dumber then a post. You're nothing but a small minded disgrace to YOUR blood!"

"The bastard's bastard. Your breeding shows true." Was the cold response, voice dripping with such coldness no one could doubt who Sesshoumaru had learned it from. "And look at you." She added, pointing a finger at Inu yasha. "You've escaped death far too often. Did you know my son there was too weak to kill you, even when you were a baby? He ended up saving your life rather then taking it. Then again he never could do anything right. He was literally the death of me." She added with a voice full of sarcasm as her eyes zeroed in on Sesshoumaru again. "After all, what mother could live knowing she'd spawned such a thing."

* * *

"You killed yourself, mother. Whatever part I played in you making that decision...it was still your choice." Sesshoumaru said quietly. "The days of me believing I drove you to it are over. You were unhappy and you had reason to be. But you are not the first woman to be cast aside nor the first to bare a son who could never live up to your expectations. I sat in that room for three days, covered in your blood while I waited for a father who didn't come. If I am a disappointment to you as a son then I would say you failed miserably as a mother. You both did as parents. Perhaps my children don't possess pure demon blood but I cannot find fault with any of them and have nothing but pride where they are concerned. I have been faithful to my mate and will be until the end of time as she will to me. I think, even if I am pathetic, stupid and unworthy of my lineage...that anyone would rather live my life then yours."

* * *

"Well said, Sesshoumaru." Came another female voice and everyone looked behind them to see a young woman walking towards Sesshoumaru's mother with fire in her eyes. She was human, dressed in the finery of a noblewoman and possessing great beauty.

"Mother..." Inu yasha whispered, staring at her as she moved around to stand between them and Sesshoumaru's mother.

"You!"

"Yes me. If you want to spill out your venom then aim it this way. Leave our sons out of it. You've already made yours suffer enough." Izayoi said, her dark eyes flashing dangerously. "Spew your hatred towards me or Inutaisho but leave them out of this. They are the innocents here."

"You would dare to tell me what to do? You disgusting whore."

"Call me what you will. Whatever vile name you wish to call me...I will take it. Speak one word against Sesshoumaru or Inu yasha and I will see to it that your stay in hell becomes that much worse." Izayoi countered evenly as she held up a hand to motion her son back, even though Sesshoumaru had already reached out to grab his brother's shoulder.

"I will speak however I want to my son."

"No. You can't. I won't stand by and let you hurt him anymore. I didn't know what you were then...but I know what you are now. You and I have never faced off against one another...perhaps if we had things would have been better. You hated me so much but because you feared the consequences you turned all that hate and loathing on to the person who needed you to love him the most. I stole his father from him. I didn't mean to. I should have thought of him, of his feelings and that what we were doing might hurt him. Hurt you. I can forgive anything you say against me because I know I deserve it. But all they ever did wrong was love their mothers. Whatever my faults I was a good mother...and had I had the chance after you died I would have tried to be a mother to your son. I never got that opportunity...but I will stand for him now against you."


	29. What Will Happen Next?

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original ideas and characters in this and my other various fics. Thank you very much to all of you for reading and please review because I love to hear from you. Thanks again and have a great day.

Note: Planning to do another explanation chapter soon so review with your questions and even who you'd like to MC lol.

What Will Happen Next?

"Go not evil step grandmother!" Dare called out, not really sure what else to say. "I can call her that right?"

Shrugging Aiden was too busy watching what was going on around them. From where he was standing that was way more important then whether or not Dare could call Uncle Inu yasha's mother his step grandmother.

"Wow, no wonder Uncle Sesshoumaru can be so messed sometimes. If that was my mother I'd be plenty messed up too." Mika muttered as she watched the two women, their grandmothers talk some serious trash. "My grandmother seriously rocks though."

"Besides that you're already messed up enough as it is already." Ren pointed out, dodging the elbow she shot in his direction just barely.

"Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you." Mika threatened with a dark look in his direction. Oh the little wolf boy was asking for it. She was about ready to give it to him too "And then I'll MESS YOU up good."

"Not if I do it first."

"Children, children. Now isn't the time for that." Shippou reminded then with his best impression of his sister Hotaru. "Right now I think we should be busy worrying about losing this fight, not about who's going to shut who's mouth."

* * *

Standing, facing each other the two mothers faces off, dark clouds surround Sesshoumaru's mother while Inu yasha's was bathed in bright white light. Both raising their hands beams of light, one light and the other dark hurled at the other, the two beams meeting. Both women had to dig in their heels but it was obvious that Inu yasha's mother's beam was stronger, or at least it was until Naraku appeared behind her and setting his hand over hers added his power to hers, sending Inu yasha's mother's reeling backwards. Falling against her son's chest Inu yasha found her hand enveloped with her son's, Inu yasha adding his power and strength to hers to even things up though it was apparent that it wasn't quite enough either. They needed more power. 

Watching Sesshoumaru felt a clutch in his stomach, a knowledge of what he had to do. He knew, deep inside that he was the third piece, the piece that would change the tides of this but that would mean joining sides with "her", someone he'd hated as long as he'd known of her existence. He had been able to forgive his brother since Inu yasha had been as innocent as he but that woman, that woman was not. She'd been an adult who had destroyed his life for her own pleasures, for her own needs. Whatever she'd said, she had to have realized what harm getting involved with his father would cause. She hadn't valued the well being of a child over the pleasure of the company of a demon lord that could never, should never have been hers. But on the other hand if he didn't help, if he didn't stand with them then they wouldn't proceed in all likelihood. More importantly he wouldn't get his baby girl back or even his idiot nephew. They needed him to do this. Grinching his teeth Sesshoumaru surprised everyone as he walked forward and moving to the one's other side set his own clawed hand on top of theirs, the beam of light they were producing immediately going a blinding brilliant light, doubling in size. It didn't matter though. As soon as his hand had touch theirs his mother had stopped generating her beam, the light beam going straight through her so that she disappeared in front of their eyes along with Naraku.

* * *

"Late as usual, Sesshoumaru." Inu yasha said with a faint smirk as he watched his brother's hand retreat like it had been burned. 

"In need of rescuing as always, Inu yasha." Sesshoumaru replied as he turned his back on both of them and walked back over to his family, ignoring the hand Inu yasha's mother stretched out in his direction.

Knowing the sacrifice his father had just made, what it had to have costed his father to lend his aid there Dare simply left Aiden's side and moved to stand beside his father, their shoulders brushing with neither saying a word. They didn't need to.

"You have..passed the first test." Inu yasha's mother said with a smile, her coming up to stroke her son's face as a door of light appeared behind her. "Go through the door behind me and onto the next challenge. There will be some small obstacles to the next challenge but I have no doubts that you are all up to it."

"It's..good to see you, mother." Inu yasha said as he nuzzled his face against her hand, even as it began to fade away.

"I love you, Inu yasha and I'm very, very proud of the man you have become." Izayoi said softly before looking over her son's shoulder at Sesshoumaru. "The same goes for you, Sesshoumaru, whether you can accept that or not. Now I must go, my time here has ended. Mika, as a parting word I will tell you in the next task you will be asked to think beyond what your mind and heart tells you. Simply do what you think is right, what you know to be right. Good bye..and good luck." Fading away in moments the only light was the door.

* * *

"Well that shouldn't be hard for you, Mika." Shippou said as he set a hand on Mika's head to ruffle her hair. "Sounds like you just have to go with your instincts the way you always do."' 

"We should get out of here, in case there's an exit time limit." Hermione pointed out as she watched Inu yasha curiously, who was staring off into the space his mother had occupied. She couldn't imagine life without her mother now and Inu yasha had lost her a long time ago. Was it a gift to see her now or just another wound opened?

"Move out." Sesshoumaru commanded and following orders everyone started forward, Mika linking arms with her father to gently herd him through the exit. As soon as they exited Inu yasha began to fade and then in his place another figure began to appear until it was Sora standing in his place, blinking and looking around in confusion as her eyes took in their presence's in puzzlement. "Sora." Sesshoumaru breathed, skirting around the others and made his way to his daughter, standing in front of her before roughly pulling her into his arms.

"Father? Father!" Sora exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his waist, breathing in his scent as she revealed in the fact that somehow she was back. This wasn't simply the feared demon Lord of the West, this was her father.

"Wahooo! Sora!" Dare whooped, rushing over too so that he and his father made a Sora sandwich while everyone else gathered around to give her hugs and welcome backs once her father and brother would let her go though they remained on either side of her, as though to prevent her from disappearing.

* * *

Meanwhile 

"Where the hell did she go?" Sesshoumaru demanded as he looked around him. One minute his daughter had been talking to Sango about the changes to her village and the next she'd been gone in the blink of an eye.

"Is it possible that Lady Sora was transported back to her own time?" Miyoga suggested from Inu yasha's shoulder where he'd been sitting since Inu yasha had tired of trying to flick him off.

"If that was the case you'd think they'd have transported Andrea and I too though." Kyou said with a worried look as he scanned the horizon like she could suddenly appear if he just looked hard enough. "But as far as I know Ferio doesn't have this sort of power which is something at least."

"How are we going to find her? If only we were still back at that Treyz guy's holding. His wife could probably tell us where she was." Kagome said with a frown, worried about her niece. What could have happen to her?

"Well I could just take us back to the holding." Andrea pointed out reasonably.

"What do you mean you can take us back there?" Kyou demanded to know. "You can only teleport to places where you know the layout perfectly and have left behind one of those silver thingies."

"Yes and at Lady Sora's request I did both since we both agreed that Lady Tomoyo might be a valuable resource to tap later on in the future if we were to run into any trouble." Andrea said dryly, smirking in Kyou's direction.

"How would you do it? Transport all of us back there I mean?" Sango asked, the idea of being transported anywhere sounding a little weird and dangerous to her.

"All you'd have to do was put your hand on my shoulders or back. As long as you have physical contact with my body I can bring you with me. However any attempts to grope will result in a very painful penalty." Andrea said as she fixed Kyou with a hard look before giving Miroku the same treatment.

* * *

"I assure you that I would never do such a thing." Miroku said with a serene smile that wasn't fooling anyone. He was a lecherous pig after all and he never, ever passed up a chance to get a quick feel, especially if the girl was as attractive as Andrea. 

"Like there's much to grope." Kyou muttered under his breath.

"Sit boy!" Andrea ordered and grinned when Kyou went down in a heap as ordered. "Dumb dog."

"Hey, how did you do that?" Inu yasha wanted to know. "He doesn't have one of these stupid necklaces." Inu yasha pointed out, tugging on his own that that sneaky witch Kaede had saddled him with.

"I did it through my mind, I don't require something so primitive as your necklace." Andrea explained as she absently rolled her shoulders. "So, shall we go?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Rin said with a wide smile, the idea of being magically teleported somewhere very exciting.

"Is there a way for only some of us to go? It would make sense for some of us to stay behind in case she reappears." Kouga pointed out, not overly thrilled with the idea. Plus it seemed a waste to go all that way when they'd already traveled so far already.

"I've traveled this area before and know it well enough." Andrea said as she lifted a hand, a silver wand like object appearing there with a point tip. Grabbing it in her other hand Andrea held it then threw it into the ground, pointy tip down. "I can bring us back to this spot once we have concluded our business with the demon sheer."

* * *

The little obstacles between the first challenge and the second turned out to be a couple dozen pretty bad ass demons who took some doing to put down since they just didn't seem to want to stay down. Finally getting through they were a little tired, a little annoyed and rather dreading what was next. They followed the path and were facing what looked to be solid mountain wall when the voice from before came again. "You passed the first, now it is time for the second test to be faced. One at a time your name will be called and you will walk through this wall and into your individual task. This test will challenge the knowledge that is in your heart as well as your mind. You will enter into a world filled with the people both past and present that are a part of your life. You must find the one person in the group of many that can lead you from the darkness and into the light. Those who don't complete their task within the allotted time will be trapped within this world forever, doomed to wander while those who succeed will continue on to the next and final challenge." 

"Well doesn't that sound just cheery." Dare said dryly, not quite sure what to think of this challenge. When Mina's name was called he looked over at his aunt in sympathy. "Good luck, I think you're going to need it."

"Piece of cake." Mina said saucily though there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice. She wasn't at all sure what to expect either. 'See all you guys on the other side." Mina added with a wink in her daughter's direction as she walked forward, lifting a hand against rock, only to find her hand and arm go straight through. "Well that's sorta cool."

"Good luck, mom!" Hermione called out as she waved, her mother disappearing into the rock face like a ghost until she was completely gone from sight. "She'll be okay, right, Aiden?" Hermione said weakly, looking over at Aiden for some confirmation.

"I'm sure she'll be fine."

* * *

"Sora?" Shippou said carefully, coming up to Sora now that Sesshoumaru was busy talking to Triton and Dare was busy helping Aiden reassure Hermione that her mother would be just fine. He'd managed a brief half hug and a welcome back but that was about it since she'd reappeared. 

"Hmm?" Sora said as she turned her attention from the mountain to Shippou. It was weird to suddenly see him like this when she'd just gotten used to him in mini.

"I uhmm..I got this for you." Shippou said as he held up her necklace, the one that he'd found on the ground after her fight with Ferio. The one he'd given her.

"My necklace!" Sora exclaimed before flushing slightly at her tone of voice. Very unlike her as she carefully took the necklace back from him to examine it. The necklace was one of her most prized possession but she didn't want Shippou to know that, to figure out why it was so important to her. "You fixed the chain." She said softly, cupping it carefully in her hand like it might break if she wasn't careful. "Thank you, Shippou."

"No big deal." Shippou said with a shrug, looking down at his feet rather then at her. Something he seemed to have to do a lot more often lately.

"I appreciate it." Sora said as she carefully brushed her hair to one side before putting the necklace back on where it belonged. "I was...distressed when Ferio broke it and I thought I'd lost it for sure." Nearly jumping when she felt something brush against her leg Sora looked down to see Sonya nuzzling her leg, the cat's way of greeting her and welcoming her back. "Hello, Sonya. I missed you too." Sora said as she crouched down to give her brother's cat's ear a quick scratch.

"Next is Shippou, son of the fox demons Takashi and Rumiko of the line of Trest." Came the female voice again, interrupting anything else Shippou might have said. Apparently Mina's test was over though the voice said nothing as to whether she had passed or not. Likely to keep everyone on their toes and in suspense as to how difficult the test actually was.

"Guess that means me." Shippou said with a rueful smile as he looked down at Sora. Damn, he'd hoped to try to talk with her a little more, especially since after this test she would disappear again, back into the past. Their timing continued to suck, he thought ruefully. "I guess this is good bye again until we both get through."

"I'll expect to see you there waiting for me then." Sora said with a small smile as Shippou nodded in response before turning and heading in with a lot more confidence then he was feeling. Watching him go Sora sighed before sharing a knowing look with Sonya. "He better be there." She muttered under her breath. "He has to be."

* * *

Walking in Shippou found himself in utter darkness and then slowly he began to feel weird, a sense that something wasn't right. It was so dark though that he couldn't even see his hand in front of his face, much less what was going in around him. Then, as if someone had flipped a switch he found himself in the light with familiar faces and bodies towering over him. Giant forms of his friends and family, Shippou wandered, spinning around to look at them all then slowly stopping looked down at himself. it was his body all right but it wasn't one he'd been in for quite a number of years. not since the search for the Shikon Shards had he been this small. Shaking his head Shippou wasn't pleased to find himself in a kid's body but at the moment he didn't have time to stand there and be annoyed. He needed to find the one person who could get him out of here, one person in a sea of many, Shippou thought darkly. He'd caught glimpses of Sango and Miroku, Kaede and even Sesshoumaru but he knew, somehow that they weren't the ones he needed to find. Wiggling his way through the crowds he tried to find someone he thought was right but just couldn't seem to figure out what the criteria was supposed to be. What made someone the right person? Then it hit him, who he'd been looking for in the back of his mind before he'd even realized it. He was looking for the person who'd always been there for him, first as his friend and then as his mother. The person who he'd loved the longest and would do absolutely anything for. Elbowing aside someone Shippou cupped his hands in front of his mouth and at the top of his voice called out to her. "KAGOME!" 


	30. That Special One

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and plot ideas that are formed in this demented mind of mine. Thanks to all those who have been reviewing, I love to hear from you.

Note: The next chapter is going to be another explanation chapter provided you guys ask for it. Please put your questions in the review section, you can also vote for who you want to do the explaining. Thanks.

That Special One

It was a toss up to say which group was more surprised. The mass of demon lords Lord Treize had managed to round up in their absence or Lord Sesshoumaru's group at finding all these demons there when they arrived. Quickly explaining their purpose the group was shown to a separate room at their insistence where they waited while Tomoyo was summoned to them. The other demons weren't exactly happy about their seclusion from seeing this vision but they quit their requests once Lord Sesshoumaru made it quite clear he didn't appreciate their complaints at all. He was giving off such dangerous vibes everyone with any sense was afraid to breath wrong in his presence and was glad to see him go into the next room. Of course there was a lot of talk about him being chained to that human, many of his enemies noting that this would leave him at a distinct disadvantage. Especially since that left only the Lord's bad arm to fight with. Of course they waited till he was out of the room before they began discussing it amongst themselves with Manta doing plenty of the stirring up about it. Unfortunately for them Sesshoumaru and some of the others weren't so stupid that they hadn't noticed. Not to mention the fact that half of them were dog demons. Their hearing was quite excellent.

* * *

"Looks to me like they think you won't be much of a threat..because of me." Sango noted while they waited, her eyes looking up at Sesshoumaru questioningly. Those conversations were making her really nervous, like a cornered mouse with no where to go but into the cat's mouth. She wouldn't be going down it alone either, she silently added, looking at Sesshoumaru as she absently chewed on her bottom lip. He would go down with her and it would be her fault for slowing him down.

"I apparently survived it once, I see no reason I can't do it again." Sesshoumaru pointed out though he was slightly worried. She was definitely worried since it was nearly written on her face, Sesshoumaru thought with faint amusement. The way he was now, tied to the slayer, with his good arm immobilized by the chain...it was a serious problem. Or it would be if the others hadn't been there, he thought, reluctantly admitting, if only to himself, that some of his current companions weren't complete wastes of air and space.

"Geez, I can hear them plotting from here." Inu yasha said in disgust, crossing his arms in front of him as he scowled in the general direction of the main hall where all the demons were gathered. "And of course that idiot Manta is shooting his mouth off, as usual."

"What I don't get is how he managed to even live this long. I mean in our time it's just because all the extreme demon lovers prefer him to Kouga. Killing him would lead to a lot of warfare between the wolf clan." Kyou said from his spot beside the closed door with Andrea on the other side. It didn't hurt to be cautious.

"What do you mean, extreme demon lovers?" Kouga wanted to know. After all it wasn't like he was anti demon, far from it.

* * *

"Well you didn't take a demon as your mate so a lot of Manta's supporters claim that's a reflection on your abilities to lead. You know, being weak enough not to be able to get a "real" mate. Of course the real reason is that they're really all just afraid of her. That's why they want Manta to take over. They figure if they can get him elected top wolf you'll go peacefully to prevent any bloodshed. Then she won't be able to justify killing them all for being the selfish, vicious bastards that they are." Kyou explained, rocking on his heels impatiently. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all.

"Is she really that bad?" Kouga wanted to know. He was all for a mate that could defend herself but she was coming off as being a rather big handful. Possibly more of a handful then he could handle for that matter.

"Well she can be but she's also beautiful so when you look at her you sorta forget everything including your name sometimes." Kyou said with a wink in his uncle's direction. "You're a lucky man, trust me on this."

"Right..." Was Kouga's dry response before turning his head sharply. "She's coming."

As soon as Tomoyo was in the room Andrea explained the present circumstances and gained Tomoyo's assurance that she would do her best to help them. Using Kyou this time for a medium she was able to lock onto Sora and soon they were once again looking into a screen but for some strange reason Sora was looking unusually small and about five, complete with pigtails and chubby cheeks.

* * *

"Stupid, damn test." Sora muttered, looking around at what seemed to her to be a deserted valley in the middle of nowhere. "And what the hell does making me look like I'm five have to do with anything?" Looking around her again she frowned, absently chewing on her bottom lip. "Okay..the others did this, so can I. Now the clue was to find someone who you love and trust, that you believe would never let you down. Only problem is..I can think of a lot of people that fit that description and I don't see even one of them." Walking around aimlessly Sora looked all over but couldn't find a single person anywhere. She couldn't even see any signs that anyone had been there recently. Finally giving up she sat on a rock to ponder. "Lets see...they made me a child..maybe that's a hint? Someone who as a child you'd always expect to fit those requirements and was old enough to do it? Well my brothers and Rin were old enough but if I was in real trouble the person I'd want is my father." As if on cue her father suddenly appeared before her, startling her so much she fell off the rock and over the other side. Laying on her back Sora stared up at her father who stared back at her from above. "Well you aren't my real father." Sora decided after looking him carefully in the eye. "But I guess you're just supposed to represent him." Getting to her feet Sora dusted herself off then walking around the rock moved to stand at the replication's side. "Show me the way out, please." Following him out she grew back to her normal self and soon saw a sort of doorway open up in front of them. After thanking him for his help Sora walked through the doorway to find the others lounging around, waiting.

* * *

"You got through okay!" Dare announced, hurrying over to give her a hug and a once over, feeling unusually affectionate towards his little sister now that he'd almost lost her in the past of all places. Of course she was still going back but he was hoping to join her shortly. "And you haven't disappeared back into the past yet either. All is good."

"Yeah, looks like you guys all made it...but where's Ren?" Sora wanted to know, her eyes looking around, a faint hint of concern coming into her pale eyes. "He went before me."

"No he...he did?" Mina repeated, a worried look coming into her eyes as she walked over to Sora. "He hasn't..he hasn't come out yet. But that means..it means he isn't coming out period..doesn't it?" Looking from Sora to Dare Mina's face lost color before looking over their shoulders at the mountain wall. Like the other side it only showed an opening when someone was going through it.

"Oh no." Hermione said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Not Ren, not Ren!"

"Of all of us..he would have been the one most out to sea.. who to get help from, who would love him enough to qualify." Triton pointed out from where he sat, meditating on the ground. He on the other hand had had no question as to who's hand to reach out for. His wife's had already been there, waiting to take his. "He whose family ties are the weakest, without the confidence to depend on those who live around him."

"But there might still be a chance, right?" Hermione said as she looked toward the mountain. "Maybe..maybe he can still make it out of there somehow."

* * *

Stepping into the portal now that Sora was through Mika was more then a little displeased to find herself shrinking until she was about the size of a six year old. Stamping her foot in annoyance she blinked rapidly when before her eyes the dim darkness of the room changed, becoming the busy and crowded streets of the city. In fact she'd often patrolled this area when she was a rookie cop, Mika realized, spinning around in a circle to get a better sense where she was, which wasn't easy since there were people everywhere, pretty much all of them bigger then she was. She didn't recognize any of them either which didn't exactly go with the clue they'd been given before entering. She needed to find someone to take her out, someone she apparently loved and trusted above all others. Well that wasn't brain surgery. Elbowing her way through the crowd Mika struggled up a flight of stairs, up to a walk in front of a run down apartment building. Standing there on tippy toes she tried to take advantage of the added height but she couldn't see her father anywhere. Where is he, Mika wondered, her bottom lip sticking out in a pout. She didn't like to be kept waiting after all. Since she knew there was a time limit Mika drew in her breath then began hollering for her father, her voice rising over the traffic which was no small feat. After doing it for what seemed like forever Mika saw the crowd begin to part, her father coming over to stand in front of her. Holding out her arms Mika wrapped her arms around her father's neck as he picked her up. "I need to get out of here, Daddy." Mika informed her father a little hoarsely.

* * *

"Then we better get you out of here." Inu yasha agreed as he carried his daughter through the crowd, everyone parting to let them through.

Looking around now that she knew she didn't have to worry about getting out Mika was about to ask her father what had taken him so long when her eyes were caught and held by the sight of a small boy, sitting on a nearby bench. He looked to be a kid too with black hair and if she wasn't mistaken he was wearing wolf demon clothing. What was a wolf demon kid be doing in the middle of a Japanese city block? Unless...squirming Mika demanded her father put her down and ignoring his arguments got away and pushed, shoved and kicked her way through the crowd to get over to the boy. He was curled up, his knees pressed against his chest, his head lowered so that his face was hidden from her. Following her instincts, something she tended to do more then was wise, she reached out and grabbed the boy's hand. Yanking him towards her she pulled him right off the bench and forced him to come with her to where her father was waiting. The boy following along like a lifeless shadow, his head staying down, shoulders slumped in defeat. Taking her father's hand again Mika kept a firm grip on both of them. "Lets go."

* * *

Nodding Inu yasha continued to walk and this time Mika found herself slowly beginning to age, getting taller and taller as she reached her former size, shape and she assumed age. Turning to smile at her father she suddenly realized that the other hand she'd been holding had gone from a child's to a mans hand too. Turning her head Mika stared as she realized who's hand she was holding. Ren's.

"What the hell..." Mika muttered, staring into his blank eyes. It was like he was sleep walking or something. He'd gone in before her..was it possible..he'd gotten stuck in here somehow? But then why'd he end up in her test? Why hadn't he been sucked into some dark place to never be seen or heard from again?

"He cannot hear you." She was informed by the man who was standing in for her real dad.

"But it is Ren, right? My stupid, barely useful in any way, shape or form Ren?" Mika demanded to know. If it wasn't then she could probably let him go. Probably was supposed to but her mind kept rejecting that idea for some stupid reason. For some reason all her hand seemed to want to do was hold the idiot's tighter.

"Yes, he didn't know who's hand to reach out for and so he couldn't pass on in the allotted time."

* * *

"Then how come he ended up in my test, currently being dragged by me?" Mika wanted to know as she looked back and forth between the two. "I mean if he failed then I shouldn't be able to get him out of here."

"There are some things more powerful then even those that control these tests." Was the cryptic response.

"Okay...boy is everyone gonna rag my ass about this." Mika muttered as she turned to glare at Ren as she let go of Inu yasha's hand and dragged the still silent Ren to the portal's entrance. "And don't think you aren't going to owe me for this either because your ass is mine now and believe me when I say I'm gonna be kicking it plenty. Do you have any idea how much you weigh? If we get stuck in here because I had to drag you I am so gonna see you pay in hell. Your father is going to seem like a loving nurturer when I get through with you. You can bet on it!" Mika snarled at him as they stepped out of the imaginary reality and into their real one.

* * *

"Ren!" Hermione cried, rushing forward with a huge smile on her face, only to come to a sudden stop at the look on Ren's face. "Ren? Is he okay? Did you do something to him?" Hermione demanded to know.

"The only thing I did was save his scrawny ass from being stuck in there forever." Mika said with a dark look in her cousin's direction. Sure, blame it on her. Figures.

"Give him time to heal, I can sense his mind has been put under a great deal of stress and pain." Triton said as he came forward to look the boy over. "He's had to face truths no one wants to face, especially a man like him. Simply set him down somewhere and let him recover at his own pace. Mika might have brought him out of that place physically but emotionally he is still there, fighting to get out."

"What do you mean, emotional strain?" Dare wanted to know, wondering what could have happened to the guy in there. His own test had been as easy as finding his mother in a crowd, no big deal.

"What would it be like, do you think, to be surrounded by the people you know and care for and yet not be able to say for certain that any of them return those feelings. To have it shoved in your face that you can't place your trust in the people who should love and care for you." Aiden said quietly, shoving his hands in his pockets. "That test wasn't hard for any of us because we all had plenty of people to chose in our lives that fit the criteria of someone we love with all our heart and who we would trust above all others. I don't know about you...but I can't begin to imagine what it must be like...to have it shoved in my face that I don't have anyone like that. I don't know if I'd be able to handle it."

* * *

"That poor boy." Kagome whispered as she watched her daughter lead Ren over to a rock, forcing him to sit on the ground so that he was leaning against it, Hermione and Mina hovering over him anxiously.

"What sort of tests are these? Why are they even going through them?" Was what Miroku wanted to know, worried about his son since apparently Aiden wasn't much in the ways of a fighter. If there were more tests after this and the enemy could create such powerful illusions... Well from where he was standing there was cause for worry.

"Oh boy...look who's next for this little game." Inu yasha muttered, giving his brother a slightly worried look out of the corner of his eye before he turned to watch his older brother on the screen walk through the portal and begin to shrink. If being able to love and trust were the criteria..how likely was Sesshoumaru to get through whatever the hell this was?

* * *

Sesshoumaru stepped into the portal and when he came out of it found himself to be a lot shorter then he'd been previously and in a hallway he'd hoped never to see again. A hallway he himself had destroyed before leaving it, never to return to even the ruins ever again. It was the hallway to his mother's rooms and he was once again the small boy from his past, defenseless against the woman who should have been his greatest protector. His fingers clenching and unclenching out of habit Sesshoumaru blinked when he felt the familiar cool metal rubbing against his flesh. Holding up his left hand to his face he stared at the simple gold ring that had shrunk with him, a symbol he never took off. His wedding ring. Of course it had no meaning in his world. A tradition from Kagome's era that Sango had decided to use as a way of giving him a visible symbol of her promise to him and him to her. Two halves of a whole, together until their lives ended. That she would never leave his side or betray him for any other. She was waiting for him and whatever he faced down this hallway he had to get through it. For them as well as for himself. Taking a deep breath he started forward, his footsteps echoing in the startling silence of the room. When the door to his mother's room opened and she stepped out he wasn't even surprised. Bracing for what he knew was coming he, for the first time to his knowledge, stood defiantly, his head high and his gaze direct. Perhaps his body was that of the boy he'd been but that boy had died along with the woman before him a long time ago. 


	31. Profiles and Payback

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else. Anyways thanks to all those who've been reviewing and thanks for your words of encouragement. I hope you like this latest chapter and have a great day.

Profiles and Payback

Hi, I'm the ever handsome and dashing Ronin, here to help all you lovely ladies and gentlemen who've expressed some problems keeping my family straight. The first part of this chapter will be me giving you an over view of the main characters that at least are mentioned in several chapters. Anyone you want to know more about or would like to know who they are just let the author know in your review and we'll get ya that info later on. Anyway since I believe in starting with the very best I'll start with introducing my siblings to you, I figure you already know my parents by now and everything.

* * *

Rin is the first cause of course she's the oldest. You guys all know her from a kid so I figure I'll just give you an idea of her as an adult. She's married to a water demon named Triton, has two truly adorable little girls and lives in the ocean with them but comes to visit often. She's quite an accomplished sorceress too and is an advisor to the head honchos in the undersea world. Her husband is a royal guard as well and is second cousins of the truly babelicious Keely (Kohaku's wife) and the hottie Andrea.

Kohaku, my big bro is next. He's a lot like our father only a little more affectionate and he actually has a noticeable sense of humor to go along with his blunt and often cutting tongue. He's also married to a water demon named Keely and they don't have any children yet. They live at our family home and Keely spends a lot of time in a small pond made especially for her since she needs to soak up water and a lot of it to survive on land. Kohaku is obviously next in line for Lord of the West and he basically assists our father in taking care and watching over our lands.

Next is me of course, the best of the bunch if I do say so myself. I'm a pretty easy going guy all in all with a permanent case of itchy feet. I don't like to stay anywhere for too long but I always come home for plenty of visits, otherwise mom starts to freak and then father lets me have it for worrying her. I'm not married either and as for job..well I don't really have one but in this era and as the son of a lord I guess I really don't need one, now do I?

After me comes my brainiac brother Kiyoshi. Now here's a guy who could seriously go for weeks without saying anything and no one would think it was weird. He's usually got his face in a book and he hardly talks unless spoken to. He's not married yet but he will be once Nomi nabs him so really he's as good as caught anyway. He's what you'd call a historian in that he likes to go around collecting stories and the histories of people, he even writes it down and everything. He's also a sort of lord over this land we took from Lord Terrian after Mom toasted the guy. He doesn't live there yet but he's building a place there for him and Nomi to live in soon.

Dare rounds off the brothers and he's the one that's most like me. He's a pretty easy going guy too and he's a real ladies man and that's putting it mildly. He's a real mama's boy too. He's not really much for fighting either but give him a reason and he's usually game if it's called for. He also is the only one of my siblings who lives in Aunt Kagome's world. He's a sculptor over there and he works primarily with wood and sometimes metal. He's really good and we're all really proud of him. Oh and he's not married either.

Next is my darling sister Sora who's so much like dad sometimes it can be scary. The only real differences are that she's female, talks more and she isn't as scary as he can get. At least she hasn't managed to pull it off yet. Sora isn't married yet and she isn't going to be any time soon if I can help it. I'd like to see any guy even try anything funny. Once I was through with the punk there wouldn't be anything left of him but a few stray drops of blood. They'd never find the body.

The last of my siblings is Nomi and she's not even exactly what you'd call a sister, more like a sister in law in training since she was an infant. My brother Kiyoshi has been her "guardian" since she was a baby and he was just a kid and adopted her after her mother, the wind user Kagura was killed by wolf demons. She's considered part of our family and she calls my parents Mom and Dad but she's never, ever referred to Kiyoshi as her brother. No, she's pretty much set her sights on being his mate since she could understand the concept and I'm pretty sure she'll pull it off sooner or later.

* * *

Moving on from my family it's time to take a look at my cousins, the kids belonging to my Uncle Inu yasha and my Aunt Kagome. They have five kids including Shippou and here's some background info on them too.

First up is Shippou who you all know from when he was a kid. He's a wanderer like me, he kinda goes around helping people and seeing the world. Lately he's been doing a lot of that for some reason. Anyways he's not married or anything and he's a fairly strong fighter, bit cocky and arrogant but then most of the guys in our family are. He's also got a bit of a short fuse, especially lately but I haven't quite figured out what's bugging him yet.

After Shippou is Hotaru and she's quite the interesting cousin, let me tell you. A doctor who went all the way to Harvard she's a tough little fighter who always apologizes after she kicks your ass. Her husband's name is Link and he's a bird demon who lives with her in the Slayers Village, she's their doctor and she takes pretty good care of all of us with Link acting as her assistant. They have two children as well, a boy and a girl with the most adorable little wings they look like little angels in more ways then one.

Next is Wufei who's a priest if you can believe it. He took over his mother's family shrine when Aunt Kagome's grandfather passed away. He works there and he also runs a small shop that sells herbal remedies and that sort of thing that does a pretty good business. He's a pretty laid back, quiet sort of guy while his wife is a lot like my mom actually only a bit meaner. His wife's name is Chelsea and she's from America, Hotaru introduced them when Wufei came to visit Hotaru while she was at school there. Chelsea is a professional dancer and choreographer, she's really good and needless to say I never mind watching her and her fellow dancers at work. Hubba Hubba. They also have a boy and a girl and the two can already dance better then I can. Then again I never claimed to be all that graceful on the dance floor. At least I'm better then my dad though. I can't even imagine him tapping his foot to a beat, much less moving to it.

One of course can't forget Mika, I doubt anyone who's ever met her has forgotten her. She's not someone you forget. Pretty much a clone of my uncle she's hot tempered, loud and always jumping before looking ahead first. She's a cop in Aunt Kagome's world and you can't begin to imagine how much more dangerous she is with a gun in her hand. Actually I'd rather not think about it for my piece of mind.

Last but not least is of course Kyou, my idiot cousin who I swear would lose his absentminded head if it weren't attached to his neck. He's a real smart aleck too that really never shuts up and I think he loves to hear himself speak way too much. He's a really good drawer though and he's a good guy all in all, especially when Andrea's around to keep him under control.

* * *

Okays, there's just a few more people I figure I should cover and then I'm pretty much done with the profiling...I think.

Aunt Mina is my Aunt Kagome's step sister. In other words Mina's dad married Kagome's mother. Aunt Mina is married to Kouga, a wolf demon and they have five children together, four boys and one girl. It's important to know that Aunt Mina is a vampire and that she isn't a demon which a lot of people mistaken her for. She's pretty much your standard femme fatale with the exception that she'll slice you into bits if you piss her off. As a result a lot of people are scared of her.

Really the only one of her children you need to remember is Hermione which is her only daughter and a lot like Kouga, complete with over self confidence, quick temper and a tad arrogant. She's also smoking but don't tell her two older brothers you think so or you're in for a lot of pain, possibly leading to your immediate exit from this world.

Of other note worthiness would be Aiden who is my little bro Dare's somewhat geeky best friend and the son of the ever lecherous monk Uncle Miroku and a demon slayer. Aiden has four sisters, all of whom dote on him to the extreme to try and make up for the fact that his mother tramatized him as a child when she went overboard trying to insure her son didn't follow in his father's perverted footsteps. As a result Aiden is pretty terrified of most girls, the poor kid and usually can't even look them in the eye. He likes to write and makes a living doing magazine articles and stuff in Aunt Kagome's Aura. Really the only other thing about him worth mentioning is that he has a thing for Hermione but don't tell her that, she won't believe you.

Ren, the even bigger idiot then all my family put together, is a wolf demon who's goal in life is to die by Mika's hand. Okay, actually it's to beat her but anyone with half a brain knows he'll never do it and one of these days she's just gonna get sick of him and do him in. He's an okay kid I suppose, when he's not trying to be like his dad. When he's not he's still a hot headed, arrogant, stubborn mule but at least he's not anti human the way his father Manta is. For your information, if you haven't figured it out already, we all hate Manta very, very much.

Well that pretty much sums it up, I think everyone else has been explained well enough but if you want more information then like I said, let the author know. Anyways that's all for now but if you want to hear from me again just say the word and I'll be at your service. Now on with continuing the chapter as my father faces my way scary and evil grandmother. Thank God none of take after her. She almost makes Mika seem normal and feminine. Yikes.

* * *

"Awww he's so cute." Kagome whispered, having to admit that her brother in law had been a truly adorable child. Very feminine looking too. Right now that face was looking very adult while he held the gaze of a woman who was looking at Sesshoumaru with what looked to her to be pure hatred. Which didn't make sense since there was no way they weren't related.

"So that's what the witchy bitchy look alike." Kyou said with a considering look. "He really does look like her, doesn't he?"

"Is that..your mother?" Sango asked, looking up at Sesshoumaru. He wasn't looking at her though. He was staring at the screen with his hands in tight fists. She didn't understand why until the room erupted with the voice of the woman, slicing through anything else anyone might have said with her venomous, hate filled words.

* * *

Standing there as his mother ranted, her ever sharp tongue doing its best to tear him to shreds verbally. Once upon a time she'd have succeeded but not now. Even as she called him filth, disgusting names and blamed him for everything that had ever gone wrong in her life he simply stood there, watching her through golden eyes that revealed nothing. Seeing his fear and pain would only excite her more.

"What's the matter, you stupid, pathetic disgrace?" His mother finally sneered when he didn't say anything. That wasn't unusual but the fact that he wasn't cringing was. "Or has living among humans made you even dimmer then you were before?"

"You can say whatever you want, it's not like I haven't heard what you're saying a million times before." Sesshoumaru said calmly, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a response. She was dead, this was simply an image produced to hurt him, to stop him in his plans to go to the past and save his daughter. Unfortunately for the powers behind all this he'd long ago been able to bury the pain and hurt his mother had caused through her cruelty and hatred for him. "Now get out of my way. I need to get out of here and you're in the way."

"What did you just say to me?" Was his mother's response, her eyes going wide with fury as she rushed forward, backhanding the boy Sesshoumaru across the face, blood seeping from wounds where her rings cut into his face. "Disrespectful brat! Pathetic, weakling! You aren't fit to walk in my shadow! You aren't fit to breath the same air as I, you tainted human pet!"

"I would rather be a human child's castrated pet then your son but that choice was never mine." Sesshoumaru returned, not bothering to brush away the blood sliding down his cheek. He was far too used to violence from his mother to even flinch at the injury she'd inflicted. "Now look here, Mother. I'm tired of being blamed for everything that's gone wrong in your life. You were a selfish, self centered icicle and those are the lesser of your faults. You might not have deserved to have your mate leave you for a human but you had no right to take it out on me, your child. Now get out of my way, my daughter needs me. Unlike you, I know what it means to be a parent and I won't let you sidetrack me from getting her back."

* * *

Vaguely aware of the sound of someone crying Sesshoumaru turned his eyes from the screen to look down at Rin who had a death grip on his pant leg, tears rolling down her cheek. "What is it, Rin?" He asked, ignoring his mother who'd gone into another tangent on the screen, lashing out at him with his younger self avoiding these ones.

"She..she was so mean to you!" Rin sobbed, burying her face against his leg, her tears soaking through the fabric.

Surprised Sesshoumaru patted her head awkwardly. "This is just..her on a bad day." He tried, lying through his teeth. It had been rare for his mother to be able to go more then an hour in his presence without lashing out at him either verbally or physically. Or both for that matter.

"So this isn't how she normally treats you?" Turning to answer Sango Sesshoumaru's eyes went wide, actually showing shock at the fact that there were tears running down the slayer's face as well, more building up at her eyes that had yet to fall. Was she...was she crying for him?

"She wasn't an easy woman." Sesshoumaru said stiffly, too floored by the idea that she'd cry for him to form a better answer or ice over the fact that this was his mother in spades.

"How could any mother talk to her child like this?" Kagome demanded, her hand in Inu yasha's.

"She found it quite easy." Sesshoumaru said simply, turning his eyes back to the screen in time to see his mother once again charge towards him, her clawed hands posed to strike. But she never got a chance to because just as she'd reached his young self a familiar face appeared between the two.

* * *

"Oh no you don't." A fully grown Sango said coldly as she grabbed both wrists, holding Sesshoumaru's mother back, the muscles in her arms straining from the strain of holding back a full blooded demon with blood lust in her eyes. "You're done hurting him, bitch." Head butting the woman back Sango let her go then kicked forward with both feet hitting the demoness solidly in the face, sending the woman flying to land hard on the floor of the fading hallway.

Growling low in her throat Sesshoumaru's mother was not out for the count yet but she was soon as she'd never done battle with anyone other then the abuse she'd dealt out to her son who'd never raised a hand towards her, regardless of how badly the beating. Sango on the other hand was a skilled demon slayer with love and a hell of a lot of stored up hatred to call upon. Not even having to draw weapons Sango was the one spilling blood with Sesshoumaru's mother only getting in a few lucky swipes. Finally in desperation Sesshoumaru's mother grabbed a hold of Sango, wrapping her arms around the slayer's waist as she attempted to crush Sango in her grasp. Seeing this, Sesshoumaru, who'd been silently watching from the sidelines got into action, racing to get behind his mother then taking a running leap latched onto her back and reaching around dug his own claws into his mother's face. Screaming in pain Sesshoumaru's mother let go, intending to throw her son off only to get her daughter in law's elbow hard in the gut before Sango grabbed the demoness's hair and yanking the bitch's head down brought her knee hard into the face Sesshoumaru had just let go as he slid off his mother's back. The demoness's eyes rolling back in her head she collapsed in a heap on the floor. Not moving.

* * *

Spitting out blood Sango wiped it away then walking over to Sesshoumaru who was staring at his bloody claws got down on one knee in front of him. Gently lifting a hand she brushed it softly against his bleeding cheek. "Your time is almost up. Lets get you out of here."

"What took you so long, Woman?" Was he wanted to know as he wiped the blood on his claws onto his robes.

"Bite your tongue." Was his answer as she mock scolded at him before moving to stand up straight once more. Holding out her hand she smiled when he reached out and took her hand in his. "Now lets get the hell out of here. You've got a daughter to rescue."


	32. Cry For Me

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to someone else..which my readers are likely thankful for. Lord only knows who I'd do to what was a successful franchise. Anyways hope you enjoy and thanks for reading and reviewing.

Cry For Me

They had only time to watch the young version of Sesshoumaru walk through the portal before Tomoyo collapsed, Kouga just in time to catch her before she hit the ground in a dead faint. "Is she all right?" Kagome demanded to know, rushing over to Kouga's side.

"She's breathing. I'm guessing it was just too much for her to keep up. That's some mystical place they're all in. Whoever's having their fun with our familles might not have wanted us spying either." Kouga replied, adjusting his grip a little as he tried not to look in Sesshoumaru's direction. He hadn't had a lot of contact with Inu yasha's brother but he'd thought he had the guy pretty much pegged. Look likes I wasn't even close to figuring him out, Kouga thought as he snuck a peek in the demon's direction. Not even close.

"Someone should go get her mate. Or a servant." Andrea suggested, since no one seemed to know what to do. Inu yasha, Miroku, Kyou and Kouga were all doing their best not to stare at Lord Sesshoumaru, Sesshoumaru was ignoring them all and Rin and Sango were hovering around him protectively, not sure what to do.

"I'll do it." Kyou volunteered, a little anxious to leave the room so that he wouldn't provoke his uncle with his stares. He'd known that his uncle's mother had been. He'd thought he'd known anyway. He hadn't been even close to understanding what his uncle had gone through. He did now and he felt physically ill. Heading out of the room at a quick run he figured grabbing a servant would be the wisest course.

* * *

"Sesshomaru..how did she die?" Sango asked quietly, close to his side as she looked up at him. Rin had pretty much attached herself to her master's leg and it was telling that instead of warning the girl off Sesshoumaru had actually set a hand on the girl's head.

"She took her life with one of her hair decorations." Was his cool response. Nothing showed on his face, nor any emotion was present in his voice. Both were blank and lifeless. The way he preferred.

"You were there, weren't you?" Sango guessed, the evil woman's words still ringing in her ears. How could any person, no matter how horrible, say such things to their own son? Their only child? "You were there when she killed herself."

"Yes. I was there."

"Did she tell you it was your fault?"

"Mine and my father's. And why are you crying?" Sesshoumaru asked, still shocked over the sight of those tears falling down her cheeks without discipline. She wasn't even bothering to try and hide them from him or anyone else. Wasn't she embarrassed and ashamed? He sure as hell would be.

"How can I not cry?" Was her forceful answer, her eyes shining glassily.

"That makes no sense." Was his stiff reply. Staring down at her he felt a tightness in his chest he'd never felt before. It wasn't an all together unpleasant feeling but he couldn't say he liked it either. Especially since the slayer was causing it.

"Only to you it wouldn't."

* * *

"That makes no sense either. Especially since I'm more intelligent then you are." Was his blustery reply, deliberately adding in the intelligence comment, hoping it would get her riled. At least then she wouldn't be crying and looking all soft and vulnerable. She wasn't supposed to look like that. She was supposed to be fiery and strong.

"The only reason you know a lot more then I do is because you've been around a hell of a lot longer then I have. And it wouldn't make sense to you get it because you had such a lousy childhood! If you can even call it that!" Was her response, Sesshoumaru glad to hear some fire in the response though she was still crying. He couldn't stand crying.

"I'm perfectly aware my childhood wasn't a standard one." Sesshoumaru pointed out, still not getting where she was going with all this. Why would she feel the need to cry for him? Especially when he hadn't seen his mother alive in decades, much less suffered her abuse. All that asides, crying never solved anything. He was proud to say he couldn't remember the last time he'd cried. He was only sorry he couldn't say he'd never cried.

* * *

"Well obviously, otherwise we wouldn't have had so many children together." Sango blubbered, wiping at her eyes now. She hadn't been embarrassed until he'd made an issue over it. She couldn't see any reason to be sorry for crying over the abuse of a child.

"And what's my childhood got to do with the size of our family?" Sesshoumaru wanted to know, not even aware that everyone was staring at them. They were, after all, having a fairly normal, if emotionally charged, conversation. The Great Lord of the West didn't have conversations after all. Least of all with a human demon slayer.

"Well because if you thought your childhood was normal and treated our children the way you were treated I would have taken our children and left you so fast your head would have spun." Was her spunky response.

Blinking Sesshoumaru said, more harshly then he intended, "I would NEVER harm a child."

"Well obviously or I wouldn't have married you." Sango said in exasperation, no longer crying though her cheeks were flushed and wet with tears still.

Deciding to take that as a compliment Sesshoumaru wasn't sure what to do with it or what to say for that matter. They didn't appear to have anything to argue about anymore. He didn't quite know how to talk to her unless they were fighting. Ignore her? Well at least she'd stopped crying, he thought absently.

"Master Sesshoumaru?" Rin said hesitantly, tugging on his pant leg slightly. Seeing her Master's faint nod of allowance Rin continued. "The bad lady's dead, right? She can't hurt anyone anymore?"

"Yes, Rin. She's quite dead."

* * *

Lord Treize hurrying in he quickly took over, taking his wife from Kouga. Basically making it plan that he blamed them all for his wife's condition he told them that they could stay on his lands for the night but he expected them gone in the morning. Leaving the room with his mate in his arms servants appeared to escort them all out. Pushing the matter made no sense so they followed Lord Treize's pointed suggestion, though they did intend to try and speak to Lady Tomoyo again the next day if Sora hadn't returned. Setting up camp a mile away from the holding they quickly built a fire with Rin practically hanging off Sesshoumaru the whole time. This of course bothered the hell out of Jakken but he was too unsure of his lord's mood to dare punish the child when his lord wasn't doing anything to discourage the girl.

* * *

They were all sitting around the camp fire for about twenty minutes before there was a flash, Sora suddenly appearing before them looking a little disoriented but in one piece.

"Sora!" Kyou yelled, rushing over to glomp his cousin. "You're alive!"

"Of course I'm alive, stupid." Was her response, rolling his eyes as she was enthusiastically hugged. "Let me go. I need to tell you guys what's all going on." Reluctantly letting her go Kyou took his seat again though he dragged her along with him to sit beside him. Letting him get away with it for the moment Sora sat down before she began explaining. "Basically in the future our family members are trying to go through this Gate of legend to try and be granted the ability to come back here and help get us back and kill Ferio. They have to go through all these tests and so far everyone that's in the group's gotten through all right. Well Ren's a bit shaky but I think he'll be okay."

* * *

"We went to Lady Tomoyo to see if she could tell us where you'd gone." Kagome explained, smiling happily, glad to see the girl back safe and sound. "We got to see a bit of what was going on. Just a couple of you going through these strange illusions."

"Yeah. Mine was okay but some of the other ones were pretty weird apparently." Sora agreed, looking at her father out of the corner of her eye. His future self had looked just a little shaken up when he'd come out of that stupid mountain. It hadn't taken a genius to figure out just what might have met him in the darkness.

"So they're almost done?" Andrea asked.

"Well basically there are three main tests with a few mini ones thrown in. We've cleared two of the big ones and as I was fading away to come back I heard this voice say something about giving them a break before the final tests. Hopefully they'll get a breather to recharge and prepare for whatever the last test is."

"Is there anything we can do for them from this end?" Miroku wanted to know.

"Not that I know of. No one will be taken from this time period again. At least I don't think so. It was Kohaku's turn to come for the final challenge and it's supposed to be the last one." Sora said thoughtfully, wishing that there really was something she or any of them could do. From the looks of it though, there wasn't anything any of them could do but wait. "Did I miss anything important while I was gone?"

* * *

"No." Was Sesshoumaru's answer before anyone could bring up exactly what they'd seen earlier. It would be wise for them to figure out early that he wouldn't tolerate his childhood being discussed in any shape or form. As it was he had no intention of speaking about it with the slayer again. Even if she started crying again.

"So we're back on Lord Treize's land?"

"Yes, we're pretty much here until morning. Then Lord Treize made it pretty clear he wanted us out." Inu yasha said with a dark look. "Like it was our fault his woman was too weak too handle the visions."

"Weak wouldn't be the word. While I was in that place I sensed incredible power. The air practically hummed with it. It's not surprising that it got to be too much for her." Sora remarked, absently brushing off her robes. "So it's unlikely he'd be willing to let us near her to find out how they do with the third task?"

"That's the way it looks right now anyway." Kouga informed her. "We can always ask tomorrow but somehow I can't see the Lord of the Manor allowing her to try, even if she wanted to. All we can really do is rest up and hope that maybe she'll be on our side."

"Sleep sounds good." Kagome spoke up, quite plainly exhausted. They'd been doing a lot of walking in the last few days and the pace was nothing short of killing. A demon's version of a nice walk in other words, Kagome thought with a faint smirk.

* * *

"I'll stay up and watch first." Kouga offered, not requiring sleep and being well rested for the

moment. "Who wants second?"

"I'll go second." Inu yasha stated, not about to trust the stupid wolf to keep them all safe. If memory served him Kouga had trouble taking care of himself, much less taking care of a large group.

"I'll take over for third." Kyou volunteered, an annoyed look coming over his face as his male relatives all sent him looks that said quite plainly that they weren't about to trust their safety to him. "Hey, don't give me those looks. I can do it. Andrea, Sora, tell them I can do it!"

"He can. it's his mind that's damaged, not his sense of smell." Andrea commented with a small smirk on her lips.

Sputtering in indignation Kyou looked over to Sora for some back up. She was family after all.

"Let him do it. We'll all wake up before the danger gets here anyway if we are attacked." Was Sora's contribution to this little argument. Kyou was capable of standing guard but his mind also tended to wander if he wasn't focused on something. Which reminded her... "And no drawing while you're on watch, Kyou."

"My own blood." Kyou muttered, sending a glare her way.

"Everyone lay down to rest." Kagome said in her best commanding tone. The last thing they needed right now was a pissing contest. "We'll all need it for tomorrow."

* * *

"Are you tired?" Sesshoumaru asked Sango as she and Sora made up the blankets to sleep on for the evening. It was rather annoying having to bend slightly so that Sango could straighten the blankets.

"I'm not beat but I'll sleep good tonight. Why?" Sango asked, smiling at Rin who'd already flopped onto the blankets before looking up at Sesshoumaru questioningly.

"I want to go for a walk."

"A walk. Now?" Sango asked in surprise, raising an eyebrow. Of course demons never really slept so it wasn't surprising that he wasn't sleepy but he had to be a t least a little tired. Not to mention the fact that now wasn't exactly the time for them to go out wandering without someone watching their backs. They were chained together after all.

"Yes. Now." Was his insistent response.

All set to say no way in hell Sango paused for a minute. Given what he'd been through, not just having to watch those terrible things but know others were seeing it too... He was such a contained, private person. It must have been torture for him, knowing that they were seeing into a part of his past that had to be more painful then she could ever imagine. "Okay."

* * *

Of course there were some objections to the idea but no one wanted to mess with Sesshoumaru at the moment. Even if he didn't show it he had to be at the very least disturbed about what they'd all seen. Better to let him work off some steam walking then chopping one of their heads off. In the mood he was quite likely in it was an understatement to say he was more then up to taking care of himself and Sango. Leaving Rin in the care of Sora the two headed out with Sango walking slightly behind him. As unlikely as it sounded she was starting to be able to read him. At first she'd thought it was just a fluke but she was beginning to think she might not be wrong. It definitely wasn't in his words or even in his eyes. Those usually only showed what he wanted you to see. No, it was the feelings she felt when she was with him. Like his emotions were in his aura or his physical presence. It was hard to describe. It was like she could read his body with her own. Whatever it was she was getting the distinct idea that it would be best to give him his space. Or at least until he said something.

* * *

They'd been walking for at least twenty minutes and she hadn't made so much as a peep. Glancing over his shoulder slightly Sesshoumaru looked the slayer over, noting that she was a tad slower then she had been when they'd started out. Her feet made no sound though and her breathing was faint. She was obviously awake enough to see the value in drawing as little attention to herself as possible. Turning back to face the front Sesshoumaru wished there was a way to ditch her. He'd thought the walking, being away from his brother would help clear his mind and calm him. That wasn't working. Sighing faintly he kept going, pleased when ten minutes later he caught sight of a small clearing where the sky was plainly visible above. Walking over to the very middle he surprised the slayer when he sat down then tugged her down to sit as well. Once she was sitting he lay back, looking up at the sky as he blocked her and everything else as his gaze never left the sky.

Not sure what to think of the sight of the great lord of the west laying on the ground Sango just watched him for a few minutes, curious to see if he'd do anything. "You'd be more comfortable using your free arm as a pillow." Sango said finally, noticing the way he was shifting his head subtly. She wasn't much of a star gazer but he, on the other hand, was a pleasure to look at, Sango thought to herself, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"I can't." Sesshoumaru said after a moments pause to consider ignoring her words. "I need to replace it shortly as it is."

* * *

"Oh." Sango replied, having forgotten momentarily that the arm in question wasn't Sesshoumaru's. So he had to replace it often, she wondered. Did he just go out and find someone's arm to rip off? Grimacing slightly at the thought she hoped she wasn't there when he did that. Then again, in their present situation odds were she would be. Watching him sit up slightly Sango watched as he ran clawed hands around the area his head had been. "What's wrong?"

"There are a lot of small rocks here." He replied, brushing what he could feel away before laying down, annoyed when he felt more tiny bumps. Well at least there weren't any biting into his head anymore, he thought with a faint sigh as he shifted in discomfort again.

* * *

Watching Sango acted before she thought about how incredibly stupid she was being. Shuffling over she got behind him and before he had even a clue as to what she intended to do she'd lifted his head and put it in her lap. As soon as she'd done it Sango went still as a rock, staring down at him in a shock while his eyes reflected the same as he stared back at her. Neither breathed as they're eyes held, a hundred messages sent and received without a word. On Sango's part she waited for him to remove his head and in all likelihood beat the hell out of her. For his part, Sesshoumaru was waited for her to push his head from her lap and apologize profusely in the hopes of not getting her head handed to her for what she'd dared to do. Neither of them did what the other expected. Then, finally, without a word to her, his eyes returned to the heavens above them, making no move to remove his head. 


	33. Moonlight Talk

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but my original characters and the plot ideas I come up with to put them in. Thanks to all those who've been reading and a special thanks to my reviewers. I hope you enjoy this latest chapter and hope to hear from you to let me know how it was.

Moonlight Talk

Sesshoumaru kept meaning to move his head. He really did. It was just that where it was right at the moment was much more comfortable then it had been before. If he blocked out the fact that it was a human's lap his head rested in then really, there was nothing wrong with it so long as no one saw him. If someone saw him though he'd really have to kill that person. Or at least insure the person was never capable of recognizable speech again. And why hadn't she moved his head yet, Sesshoumaru wondered, getting to his biggest peeve at the moment. Was she too afraid to undo what she'd done until he told her to? Then again the slayer seemed to have pretty much lost most of her fear of him by now. After all, she was the future mother of his children. Ironically enough that should have just made him want to kill her more. But he didn't. In fact for some reason he was spending more and more of his time trying to come up with ways to defend the both of them in their current situation rather then ways to get free of her so that he could kill her himself. Of course he'd never really ever had much of a bone to pick with this particular slayer. The only times he'd ever tried to kill her were when she got in his way concerning Inu yasha and even then the intent to kill hadn't been there. Just get her out of the way. If he'd truly wanted her dead before this whole chaining together it would have been simple enough to separate her from her group and do her in. Come to think of it that would have been a much better way to pick a fight with his brother. Trying to kill Kagome had always backfired on him after all. Sango on the other hand...oh well...too late now, he thought with a sigh.

* * *

"Do you do this often? Watch the stars I mean." Sango finally asked, trying not to think about how right this seemed. She didn't even notice the aches in her back anymore. She just felt so at peace, sitting here in the silence while the heavens showed them their beauty. She'd never really taken the time to quietly observe the sky at night but it really was beautiful.

"Since I was a child." Was his response, his deep, even breathing the only sound he'd made since she'd moved his head to her lap.

"Sora told me that Dare likes to do this too." Sango offered, suddenly remembering a conversation she'd had with her daughter when she'd wanted to learn more about her sons. "I guess that explains his interest. You must have taken him with you like this."

"Perhaps." Sesshoumaru replied, hiding his surprise at the comment. Had he taken his youngest son with him to go star gazing? He usually preferred to do it alone but if the boy had shown an interest...would he have taken the son that seemed most likely to be a problem with him? After all from everything he'd been overhearing Dare seemed like the most human like of his brood. Which was ironic since Rin was the only true human in the bunch.

"Uhm...would you be mad if I asked you a couple questions? I mean I thought this would be the best time since there's no one around to hear." Sango finally said after another period of silence between them. The truth was she'd been itching to ask him several things since she'd discovered they were going to be together in the future but this was the first time she'd thought it even remotely safe to ask them. Knowing Sesshoumaru fairly well by now she decided to add on a little incentive. "You can ask me questions too if you have any."

Quiet Sesshoumaru turned her request around in his head. On the one hand he was obviously not going to like whatever questions the wench had come up with in that silly little head of hers. On the other hand the last thing he wanted was to tell her no now and have her ask them later in the company of others. The worst that could happen if he answered them now was that she might start to cry again. If he didn't like her questions he didn't have to answer them after all. Plus he supposed there were some things he wanted to know, given that he was going to have her as a mate for the rest of their life together. "Feh. Fine. Ask."

* * *

"Uhm. okay. Why did you adopt Rin? I mean you hate humans or at the very least think they're not worth the air they breath. But you treat her better then you treat Jakken and Inu yasha." Sango began, looking up at the sky since she thought he was more likely to answer honestly if she wasn't staring at him.

"After Inu yasha wounded me, the first time he mastered the Wind Scar...I was left to recover in a forest alone. I was unable to move and Rin found me. She tried to help me, bringing me food and trying to clean my wounds. I couldn't scare her away, not that I was up to doing more then speak to her harshly. She was beaten..by the people of her village for stealing extra food for me. When she was killed by the wolves I finally had the strength to move and Jakken had returned to me. I smelt the blood in the air and knew where it had come from. I went looking and found her on the road, headed for me I expect. I had brought her back to life before I questioned why." Sesshoumaru said quietly, speaking the truth since there was only her to hear his words. "She was always so happy to see me when she came. It was like I was the only bright spot in her dismal life. She wanted to stay at my side...and I allowed it."

"So that's why Kouga's stooges get so nervous when you're in the area. Were they Kouga's wolves that attacked her?" Sango asked, already pretty sure she knew the answer. She'd seen the way the girl stole glances in Kouga's direction. The girl wasn't afraid of him but definitely weary.

"Yes. He once saved Rin's life though...so she's all right in his presence." Sesshoumaru answered, shifting his head slightly to get a bit more comfortable. "My turn. The scar on your back. Where did you get it?"

* * *

Blushing that he'd noticed her scar before Sango was thankful for the darkness. "The first time I met Naraku he manipulated my brother Kohaku into killing our entire party including our father. The scar is one Naraku forced him to inflict upon me."

"I remember him. The one Inu yasha confronted me about." Sesshoumaru said absently, able to picture the boy easily enough. The boy was memorable if for no other reason then the look in the boy's eyes when he'd had the child by the throat. He'd never seen such dead eyes in his a living thing before. Then again it was a stretch to say the boy had been alive.

"Why did you spare him? Inu yasha said you let him go of your own will. That's not like you."

"And how would you know what's like me? Do I have a reputation as a child killer? Human or not." Sesshoumaru asked silkily, raising an eyebrow at her comment.

"Well no but...he tried to kill Rin."

"And had he I would have snapped his neck like a twig."

"Well...either way I am grateful you didn't. If you'd killed him then I wouldn't have had a chance to say good bye..before the shard was removed." Sango said softly, a slight catch in her voice that Sesshoumaru's sensitive ears picked up on. At least she wasn't crying though, Sesshoumaru thought to himself as he waited for her next question. He didn't have to wait long. "It's my turn right?" She asked and when he nodded his head slightly she paused to think of proper wording for this one. "Have you...I mean...I uhm..."

"Say it or don't bother asking."

"Have you had many relationships?"

* * *

Absolute silence greeted that question while Sango's face went as red as a tomato. She hadn't meant to ask. She really hadn't. Oh God but he really was going to kill her now.

"Relationships? Are you asking how many demonesses...?" Sesshoumaru began, choking slightly on the words as he got up and leaning on one elbow stared at the slayer. Judging by her complexion in the moonlight that was exactly what she'd meant.

"Never mind." Sango blurted out, waving her hands in front of her rapidly. "Forget I asked."

"A lot less then your monk friend." Was his blunt response. "And obviously none but you in my future. There won't be any Kikyos popping up if that's what you're wondering about."

"Well there might be. I mean this is you we're talking about."

"Are you insinuating that my idiot half brother inherited his terrible taste in females from me? Because if you are I'd point out that reflects as badly on you as it does me."

"I just mean that...well...you're really beautiful. Your personality leaves something to be desired a lot of the time but with your looks and position I'd think that demonesses must flock after you." Sango said, looking down at the ground because even if she couldn't see his eyes clearly she could certainly feel them boring into her own.

She thought he was beautiful? Not exactly the most masculine word she could have used but he was well aware that his face was too feminine. He'd even been mistaken for a female in his youth before he'd grown into his now more masculine build. That and anyone that still made the mistake of making an error in judging his sex didn't live very long. As for the remark about his personality..well he couldn't really argue that point either. He knew he was a cold bastard and that's the way he liked it. Better that then a hot headed simpleton like Inu yasha anyway. As for the demonesses chasing after him...well it was sort of hard for them to do that since he was never in the same place very long. He'd had offers of course but he'd seen no reason to settle down with any of them, especially since they had nothing he overly wanted. "I saw no reason to follow in my father's footsteps. Taking a mate for the sake of having one never appealed."

"Oh." Sango said, seeing the logic to that. Sesshoumaru had grown up in a home that was hell, largely because his parents should have never been together. It was only logical that Sesshoumaru be cynical about the whole idea of marriage.

* * *

"Apparently I change my mind later on." Sesshoumaru said dryly, well able to figure out what was going on in that head of hers. It was rather nerving how quickly he was beginning to read her without effort.

"Well I can't say I ever saw myself marrying a demon, that's for sure." Sango said with a small smile, well able to see the irony in all this. After all, what demon slayer would ever see herself marrying the very thing she specialized in hunting?

"We should ask Sora just how old Kohaku is." Sesshoumaru said absently, sitting up so that he sat beside her now.

"Why would his age have to do with anything?"

"Because he at least would explain why I broke my vow never to take a mate." Sesshoumaru replied bluntly, waiting for his meaning to hit home.

It didn't take long. "ARE YOU SAYING YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD TO MARRY ME?"

"Marry? Oh, your human term for taking a mate. It was simply a thought and a logical one if you think about it. While I've never found human females interesting in that way you aren't without appeal."

Face bright red Sango drew back her fist and punched him not too gently in the shoulder. "I'M NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL!"

* * *

Shocked by her action Sesshoumaru stared at her, noting her heavy breathing and the fact that he could practically see flames erupting from her body. Apparently he'd hit a nerve. "I was simply pointing out a possibility. If you were in the habit of being free with your...charms then I'd never have considered you as a mate."

"I've never even really been kissed and those times Miroku felt me up don't count. He does that with every woman he meets. And I always hit him." Sango practically snarled, her virtue in question regardless of what he'd said. How dare he insinuate that Kohaku might have been the reason she'd married him. Just because he was gorgeous in face and build didn't mean she couldn't control her hormones where he was concerned. She'd never lay with a man without being married to him first. How dare he suggest otherwise. She'd bet her life she'd come to him a virgin and...and...oh dear God, Sango thought as her cheeks fired up for a whole other reason again.

"He's been wise to refrain from doing so." Sesshoumaru said with a tinge of ice to his words. Now that he knew she was going to belong to him he would be obligated to kill the monk if the leach were to try to put his hands on Sango.

"I must have been out of my mind to end up with you." Sango muttered under her breath, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she silently fumed. She couldn't even leave because she couldn't go anywhere as long as she was chained to the object of her fury.

"Given our five children your insanity must have been long term." Sesshoumaru shot back coolly, his own pride no small thing. "Especially since it's quite obvious they're all mine."

"Well if you're my mate then yeah, they would be, now wouldn't they?" Was Sango's sarcastic reply, not pleased to be reminded that they had five children and were somehow happy in the future. Maybe she had lost her mind and never regained it, Sango thought darkly. "Now that I think about it I guess it isn't so surprising that I've never seen you with any female other then Rin. With your personality only a child with no other options would put up with you!"

* * *

Okay. That was it. Reaching out with lightening fast reflexes Sesshoumaru grabbed the back of the slayer's head, yanking her forward so that their noses were practically touching. "You'd do well to watch your tongue, slayer. I have no feelings regarding you one way or another at the moment. I have no problems killing you once these cursed chains are off."

"I thought you weren't one for feelings one way or another." Sango shot back, too mad to think about how incredibly stupid she was being.

"I'm not but you certainly seem quite talented at arising negative ones. Do you realize I can count on one hand the number of people who've spoken to me as you're doing and lived to tell about it?" Sesshoumaru snarled, his eyes mere slits now as he tried to intimidate her into backing down. He was the demon and she was the weak human. Humans weren't supposed to talk back to him and they certainly weren't supposed to yell at him. Who the hell did she think she was anyway? He was the demon lord of the west. His name was known throughout the era and he was feared and respected as befitting his lineage and abilities. Where did she get off acting like she could speak to him in this fashion?

"Given your personality that doesn't surprise me in the least." Sango snarled back, not backing down even an inch. Oh it was on now. She was no little woman, letting some man tell her how things were going to be. She didn't care if she was going to end up married to him in the future. The ways things were right now killing him once they were unchained sounded like a damn good idea to her. "The only thing I can't get is how the hell I ended up with a jerk like you. You make a life stuck with a pervert like Miroku sound pleasurable! He's probably better with women then you are! "

* * *

King of remaining cool no matter what the situation. Lord of keeping his emotions under wraps. The best when it came to allowing nothing and no one to get under his skin. Over a century of well honed control snapped in a second as Sesshoumaru absorbed the slayers words. Never, not his mother, his father, Inu yasha or the idiot's mother had ever pissed him off this badly. He didn't even care that killing her now would mean his own death as well. Right now there was nothing in his head but his need to shut her up and shut her up good. "Don't...EVER...compare me to that monk." Sesshoumaru snarled, Sango for the first time realizing just how hard her barbs had hit. "I am not some weak, pathetic human whose only alive because he's had my idiot brother to take care of him."

"I..." Sango began, not sure what to say now. She knew she was in a hell of a lot of trouble and that he might be perilously close to killing her right now. She could actually hear the rage in his voice. She'd practically put her neck in a noose and jumped.

"You what?" Sesshoumaru demanded, his fingers beginning to dig in painfully.

* * *

There was only one thing she could think to do. Leaning forward Sango kissed him. Pressing her lips against him Sango put everything she had into it, hoping against hope that her mother's former advise was true. That the best way to get your man to cooperate was to kiss him into forgetting why he was objecting in the first place. In this case not addling him could possibly lead to her untimely death so finding motivation wasn't hard. His lips were surpassingly soft for such a harsh looking mouth, Sango thought, her eyes closed since she didn't want to see death coming if that was his intent. He wasn't stopping her though. Finally she moved away, opening her eyes to stare into his. "I'm sorry." Sango said in a small, if hopeful voice. Oh please don't let me end up dead. Please don't let me end up dead.

After a long pause he finally spoke. "You weren't lying..when you said you'd never been properly kissed." Watching her mouth open in outrage, obviously realizing that her little ploy hadn't worked Sesshoumaru drew her head closer once more with the hand still holding her head in his palm. "If you're going to try and distract me from killing you..do it properly." He informed her with a faint, rather rakish grin before he closed the gap and showed her the proper way to kiss someone until there wasn't a thought left in either head.


	34. A Little Reminder

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the story lines I put them in. Thanks to all those who've been reading and especially those who take the time to review. The fact that you take that extra minute to write one means so very much to me. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy.

A Little Reminder

"You know...it's a wonder those two ever got together." Kyou muttered under his breath to Andrea the next morning, watching his aunt and uncle out of the corner of his eye. He didn't know what the hell had happened on their walk but whatever it was it had the pair walking as far apart as possible. If they weren't chained together they'd probably be walking in opposite directions and to hell with the whole save the future thing. Obviously his uncle had done something pretty bad. Or he could have just been himself, that would do it too, Kyou thought ruefully. His uncle wasn't exactly any woman's idea of Mr. Right, looks aside.

"More like inadvertable." Andrea disagreed, giving Kyou a look that made him feel a stupid little kid.

"And you figure that how?" Kyou demanded to know. To his way of thinking his aunt and uncle as a couple made no sense now that he was seeing what they'd been like before. He'd thought his uncle was bad when it came to emotions and social interaction before he'd come here. The way he was now made him seem like Ayame from Fruits Basket in the future.

"Their chemistry. They're fated to be." Andrea said with a confident look in her eyes. "They were born for each other. You're just too stupid to see it."

Stewing about being called stupid for a moment Kyou tried to think like Andrea but truth be told he didn't even know where to start. His friend was pretty damn complicated and weird, at least to him. "Okay, explain it to me then. How did you come to this conclusion? Frankly I'm at a loss to what you're seeing, no matter how much better they get along in the future. He's still an anti social iceberg in either time period."

"Even if I tried to explain it to you you still wouldn't get it."

"I hate it when you say that."

"I know. That's why I say it."

* * *

"Those two have an interesting chemistry too." Kagome whispered to Inu yasha, elbowing her husband lightly in the side as she motioned towards Kyou and Andrea with a slight nod of her head. "They sorta remind me of us."

"She's a lot less violent and temperamental then you." Inu yasha pointed out, not exactly appreciating being compared to his son who came off as a easy going but a hot tempered idiot alot of the time. He wasn't, but you had to get to know him to realize it.

"I can still sit you, you know." Kagome warned though she didn't mean it. She was too busy observing her son anyway. She knew two of her five children were married and she was curious if Kyou would be the next in line. Andrea didn't appear to think so and with Kyou it was too hard to tell. This could be a love/hate relationship though. "Which do you think is right, Inu yasha? Kyou or Andrea?"

Understanding what his mate meant Inu yasha looked over at Sango and Sesshoumaru. He was surprised there weren't shards of ice trailing behind them, the atmosphere was so cold. You got chills just looking at them. In other words Sango was seriously pissed since usually she had a fiery temper when she was angry. For her to be this cold bloodedly furious something big had to have happened. The question was, what? There hadn't been a mark on his brother when the pair had returned from their walk though there had been some grass stains on both. Had they fought? But if they had he would have heard something and human or not Sango would have at least gotten one hit in. She was no ones victim. She would have called for help too, knowing how easily his brother could kill her. They must have argued then but about what? And how long were they going to be like this because it was getting pretty damn annoying. Seeing Kagome's questioning look Inu yasha paused, realizing that he hadn't answered her. "I don't know. She seems pretty certain and I don't know how they are in the future. I just know they hate each others' guts at the moment."

* * *

A faint twitch appearing under his eye Sesshoumaru forced himself not to react to his half brother's remark. Apparently the idiot had forgotten that his older brother's hearing was far superior to his own. Especially since the idiot in question hadn't even bothered to keep his voice down the way his mate had. How lowering must it be, to know your human mate was twenty times smarter then you were, Sesshoumaru wondered to himself. At least his brother had had the sense to pick Kagome over that pathetic disgrace of a priestess. One of his brother's few sensible decisions. Looking over at Sango to see if she had heard his brother he saw immediately that she had. If it was possible the vibes she was sending off were even colder then before. Impressive.

Feeling his eyes on him Sango cracked her fingers as she closed her fingers into a fist before opening them, repeating the actions over and over again. Damn him. Damn him to the lowest pits of hell. Fighting the urge nor to look down at her wrist she thanked all the gods and goddesses for her slayer uniform. Thanks to the sleeves that went over her fingers no one could see her left wrist. See the mark Sesshoumaru had left there as both a warning and a promise. Her cheeks flushing slightly her mind went back, as it had a thousand times already to last night. To the moment he'd marked her. He'd pulled away from her first, as humiliating as that was. She hadn't wanted it to end. She'd just stared stupidly into that gorgeous face of his, not saying a word when his free hand had grabbed her wrist and pulling it away from his neck had lifted it to his mouth, placing a kiss on the center of her wrist. Then he'd bitten down, not hard enough to break skin but enough to leave a mark. Then he'd let it go and taking her face in his hands, holding it firmly as he informed her that that mark was a reminder. A reminder that he was only to be pushed so far before he would give her exactly what she was asking for. That the next time he wouldn't hesitate or show mercy. Then rising he'd yanked her up and dragged her back to camp without another word. Not that she'd been in any condition to think enough to say anything. Lifting a hand to rub the spot on her wrist with her other hand Sango stopped as soon as she noticed what she'd done. Damn it, she had to quit doing that. Before anyone, especially HIM, noticed.

Noticing Sesshoumaru counted it as the thirty second time she'd done that since this morning. He just wished he could figure out what the hell he'd been thinking when he'd done it. And what had he meant with his threat? Had he meant he'd kill her the next time she crossed him...or had he meant something else entirely?

* * *

What on earth had happened between her parents last night, Sora wondered for what seemed like the millionth time it seemed. They were almost at the holding and there was no way Lord Treize was going to let them near Tomoyo given the vibes her parents were giving off. The last time her mom had been this pissed off was at one of Dare's sculpture showings when her dad kept getting hit on by all these good looking women. Of course he'd scared them off pretty quick but her mother had still been pretty steamed about it. The steamed had gone to bone chilling anger though when he told her she was overreacting as well as being an annoyance. That had not gone over well. At all.

"Makes you wonder how you ever came to be, huh?" Kouga said with a knowing look, falling into step with her. "It's amazing how different two brothers can be. You'd never know that walking bad ass could have such a pain in the ass pup for a brother."

"Carefully, that bad ass could rip you to shreds without a thought in the mood he's in." Sora warned, knowing odds were in would fall on deaf ears. Kouga wasn't exactly known for thinking things through before he did them. Hopefully his animal instinct for survival was on alert, she'd hate to see him splattered all over the forest, especially since she'd just had breakfast. Not to mention it would take a lot to convince her father to bring the idiot back to life after.

"No kidding. I get chills just looking at him." Kouga replied, shaking his head ruefully. Sesshoumaru was the definition of danger normally, much less when he was pissed off about something. Plus with Sango attached to him with that spell he couldn't kill the bastard even if he was lucky enough to get the chance. Kagome would never forgive him if he accidentally killed the slayer. Speaking of Kagome... "Can I ask you a question?"

"If you want."

"I love Kagome. I know it's stupid and that she's stuck on the mutt but I was wondering if...if I end up with her sister because I can't have her? I'd like to think that I wouldn't sink that low but..but it's been bugging me." Kouga confessed in as low a voice as he could, not wanting either Kagome or Inu yasha to hear him.

"You love Mina." Sora said simply, reaching out a hand to pat his shoulder before returning her hand to her side. "I don't know what it was like before I was born but when you're in a room with her your eyes always stray back to her. I've never seen you look at Aunt Kagome the way you look at Mina."

"Okay. Thanks."

* * *

"Adults are so weird." Shippou commented with a sigh, his hand in Rins as the two walked side by side with Miroku and Jakken bringing up the rear, both adults watching Sesshoumaru and Sango with a combination of horror and despair.

"Yeah, they are, aren't they?" Rin agreed with a giggle, smiling at the fox demon. She'd never gotten to really talk to him alone before but she knew when to give her master space and this was one of those days. "Why do you think they're so mad about?"

"I'd go and ask her but Sesshoumaru would snap me like a twig." Shippou said with regret, nodding his head wisely, no doubt in his mind.

"Yeah, he's pretty mad at the moment. She's really mad too." Rin added, a little surprised that the pretty slayer could give off as cold a vibe as her Lord Sesshoumaru. Watching the pair Rin cocked her head to the side thoughtfully. "She keeps rubbing her wrist. Do you think maybe she hurt it and that's why she's mad?"

"He better not have hurt it." Shippou growled, not that that he'd ever be stupid enough to confront the demon lord about it. Better to get Inu yasha to do it for him.

"Lord Sesshoumaru wouldn't do that." Rin insisted though she wasn't a hundred percent sure about that. She didn't think her lord would do something like that anyway. He didn't go around hurting people after all. He just killed them.

* * *

Frowning as he watched the decidedly irritated swing to Sango's hips Miroku wished he could go over and comfort her. Unfortunately every time he got within a few meters of her Sesshoumaru turned to look at him and gave him a death glare that could stop the heart of the most courageous of men. It wasn't like the demon was hurting Sango, but something was definitely up. Damn it, how could Sango choose to end up with someone like Inu yasha's brother? Hadn't he asked her to bear his children and live with him? Hadn't he always been there when she needed him? How could she choose that heartless killing machine over him? Not to mention the fact that he apparently ending up with a wife so crazy she'd traumatized his son to such an extent that the boy had yet to recover. Imagine, a son of his line being afraid of women. It was just too disgracefully to comprehend. What sort of harpy had he ended up with when he should have ended up with someone like Sango?

Inwardly fuming Jakken glared at the slayer's back and wished he could bludgeon her to death with his staff. How dare she? How dare she bewitch his great lord into becoming her mate? He didn't know how she'd managed it but she'd obviously had to have used deceit and trickery. Perhaps she had had her priestess friend put a spell on Lord Sesshoumaru? He'd expect such lowly tactics from a filthy human like her. Well now that he knew what she planned he wasn't going to let her out of his sight. If she thought for one minute he was going to allow her to become his future mistress she was stupider then his lord's idiot, half breed brother. He'd failed to protect his lord from her once, he would not fail again.

"Ah, we've finally arrived." Miroku said under his breath, talking to himself. He didn't imagine they'd be staying long though. Odds were they'd be shown the door before they'd even stepped through it.

"About time." The toad demon grumbled, his ugly face looking that much uglier to fit his present mood. "They'd better let Lord Sesshoumaru through. In the mood he's in right now he won't take no for an answer."

"We won't allow him to do anything to these people. They have the right to turn us away." Miroku objected, frowning down at the toad.

"As if you could stop him." The frog chuckled, sneering up at the pathetic monk.

* * *

"No." Treize said bluntly, staring into Sesshoumaru's eyes as he tried to ignore the sweat sliding down his back. It was the look in Sesshoumaru's eyes. He could handle the demon's death glares and cold behavior but there was something in the demon's eyes he'd never seen before. Twin flames, barely banked and only visible to those who could meet the lord's eyes which were few and far between. Something had stirred the demon lord of the west to provoke a physical reaction to the degree that some emotion was actually seeping past that icy control. Now, when it was the worst time possible to deny Sesshoumaru he had to. The gods save him.

"I thought as much." Sesshoumaru said carefully, his eyes never leaving Treize for a moment. As a general rule this was one demon who was usually able to maintain the facade that he wasn't afraid of him fairly well. That facade was visibly cracking before his eyes.

"She's ill. Whatever happened when she went back has effected her health. I won't allow her to try again, especially not so soon after." Treize said firmly, grinching his teeth slightly. He could see that Sesshoumaru was seeing through him. Damn those all knowing eyes of his.

"Fine." Sesshoumaru said simply, inwardly amused when Treize simply stared at him in wonder. Obviously the demon had thought he was going to force his way through. He'd considered that of course but he didn't see the benefits outweighing the cons to that plan. Even if he could get the wench to look into the future they couldn't do anything to help them on their quest through those tests. Besides that, he really had no wish to see anything else pertaining to his past paraded in front of anyone, much less his brother. There was one secret he had that Inu yasha must never, ever learn about, much less remember. Inu yasha had never brought it up and perhaps the idiot had been too young to remember. Either way those three days were never, ever to be spoken of. He couldn't take that, not now.

* * *

"Fine?" Treize repeated, not quite understanding. This couldn't be it. Could it?

"Did you expect me to force you?" Sesshoumaru asked silkily, raising an eyebrow. Would the demon admit it?

"Yes." Treize said simply, too stunned to think whether honesty was the best option at the moment. This wasn't like Sesshoumaru at all. There was nothing the demon hated more then being denied something he wanted. Sesshoumaru didn't ask for that matter. Usually he just told you what he wanted and expected his wishes carried out. When had that changed? Looking over discreetly at the human female chained to the demon lord Treize wondered if this was her doing. Wouldn't that be the greatest of ironies. The very weakness that had afflicted Sesshoumaru's father repeating in his son.

Nodding in acknowledgment Sesshoumaru simple turned and started back the way they'd come, dragging behind him a slayer who was quite openly shocked, Sora and Andrea being the only ones not ready to keel over from disbelief. Sora because she thought her father hadn't contested because he didn't want to see any more of his personal life shown to anyone and Andrea because she knew Sesshoumaru too cunning a strategist to think forcing his way through was a wise course of action.

"You're just going to leave?" Sango demanded to know, forgetting completely that she wasn't talking to him as they continued down the hill with the others close behind. "You aren't even going to argue with him?"

"Why bother? He'd still refuse me and eventually I'd have killed him out of annoyance. Then his whole clan would have attacked and I'd have had to kill them all too. I have enough to deal with at the moment." Sesshoumaru pointed out, not sure whether to be pleased or annoyed that she'd started to talk to him again. On the one hand it proved her weaker then him since she'd broken the unspoken vow of silence between them first but on the other hand he'd been enjoying the silence too. It was easier to pretend she wasn't there when she wasn't speaking to him. And at the moment, he very much wanted to pretend that he wouldn't be spending the rest of his life with her walking beside him, churning him up to the point where he didn't know who the hell he wanted to be anymore.


	35. The Quest Continues

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else which really you should all know by now. Thanks for reading and please review.

The Quest Continues

They'd been walking for an hour or so before they stopped for a break. The break was more because they had no idea where they were going then exhaustion though. Without some clue as to where exactly Ferio was hiding it was pretty useless to go wandering around blindly. Sitting down on a rock Andrea pulled a dagger out from her side and began playing with it, mentally causing it to twist, turn and expand in her hand.

Watching in amazement Kagome moved closer to watch. It was like the metal had become some sort of fluid matter as it moved like a snake around Andrea's hand. "That's amazing. You're doing that telepathically?"

"Yes. I come from a long line of metal artists on my father's side. Mostly jewelry." Andrea explained, causing the metal to twist around her arm into a makeshift bracelet before returning to its original shape and position. "We're considered the very best when it comes to workmanship and originality. We never make the same piece twice."

"Most impressive." Miroku commented from a safe distance. She was a mind reader after all and he still had bruises from before.

* * *

"So you can manipulate any sort of metal?" Sesshoumaru asked, surprising everyone since he'd been quiet since they'd leftthe holding. Now he was watching Andrea with just a hint of interest. After all, if she could manipulate metals mentally then maybe, just maybe... 

"Yes."

"Wait a minute..." Sango said slowly, seeing where Sesshoumaru had been going with his question. Was it possible? "What about this metal?" She demanded to know as she held up the hand that was chained to Sesshoumaru's, urgency plain in her voice. "Can you manipulate something like this?"

"Of course I can." Andrea replied, looking slightly surprised and insulted that Sango would think she couldn't. "As I said, I can manipulate any kind of metal. That's simple gold, child's play really."

"So you could remove this chain then." Sesshoumaru stated, his eyes narrowing as the implications hit him. She'd been with them how long? And all this time it had been within her power to remove this god awful chain. He would never have had to be chained to the damn slayer if she'd spoken up.

"I can't break the spell binding your fates together but yes, I could remove the chain that physically binds you two together."

"And you didn't think to mention this before!" The exasperation and frustration was plain in Sango's voice as she stared at Andrea like the girl had committed a crime of some sort by not telling them about this gift of hers.

Not understanding why she was suddenly getting killer vibes from Lady Sango and Lord Sesshoumaru Andrea lifted a questioning eyebrow. "You never asked."

* * *

"I think you better undo that chain quick before they try to strangle you with it." Kyou whispered, looking at his aunt and uncle wearily. He knew when they'd reached the end of their chain, pun intended. 

Shrugging Andrea raised her hand, the chain splitting in two, the ends wrapping around the wrists they were still attached to to form intricate and beautiful bracelets around the wrists of their owners. "There. If one of you is killed the other will still die as well." She reminded them, just in case they hadn't gotten what she'd said before. "I just separated the chain, not the spell."

The two automatically moving away from each other Sango hurried over to Kagome's side before she bothered to look down and admire the bracelet she was now wearing instead of the shackle. It was really quite beautiful, she thought absently. Especially since it had replaced the chain that had connected her to Sesshoumaru. She was free, Sango thought with a huge grin crossing her face. She was free!

Thank the gods, Sesshoumaru thought as he lifted his arm to study the bracelet before letting it drop back to his side. He was finally free of her. FREE! If no one else had been there he might have even grinned, he was that happy.

* * *

"You know, if it was anyone but Uncle Sesshoumaru I think he'd be doing a happy dance right now." Kyou said under his breath to Andrea as he watched his aunt and uncle rejoice in their separation in their own ways. "You know most guys would enjoy being chained to a babe like my aunt. But not Uncle Sesshoumaru. I think what they say about the men in our family is so unfortunately true." 

"What's that?" Sango asked, trying to take her mind off the fact that she wanted to do a happy dance of her own.

"That Dare is the only one with the moves to go along with the sex appeal. All our men attract women easily but once they open their mouths those women tend to leave pretty damn quick." Sora answered with a chuckle as Kyou pouted at her. "And don't give me that look, Kyou. You know that you can't begin to compare with my brother when it comes to his harems."

"Casanova can't compare with Dare when he's on the prowl." Kyou muttered, hating to admit that he was no where near his older cousin's league.

* * *

"He's a playboy?" Kagome asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. A playboy that looked like Sesshoumaru. Talk about your lethal combinations. That was enough to make even the most happily married of women think twice. 

"Well we like to joke that he got all the seductive charms in the family and the other guys were just left with their pretty faces." Kyou said with a smirk, even as he casted a weary eye towards his uncle in case the demon lord was paying attention. "The best way to put it I guess is that if Dare had Uncle Miroku's mission in life he would have repopulated Japan in less then two years. Women love him that much."

"Seriously?" Sango asked, biting her bottom lip to stop herself from bursting out laughing at the idea. Come to think of it, a man that looked like Sesshoumaru with a charming attitude would be any girl's dream man. She could see women falling for a guy like that easily. She'd nearly fallen for Sesshoumaru's seductive charms yesterday and when you really got down to it he didn't even have much to begin with.

"He is serious. It's really sorta scary the way they throw themselves at him. Then if he encourages them...well I prefer not to think about it." He was her brother after all, Sora thought with a face. Not to mention how many girls had tried to become friends with her for the sole reason of trying to get to her brothers through her.

* * *

"He is sort of a gentleman though. He doesn't go around groping women the way Uncle Miroku does." Kyou added, smirking a little at the monk who shot him a not amused at all look in response. "At least most of his ex girlfriends still talk about him nicely after its all over." 

"Though there was that one that tried to impale him on one of his swords." Sora reminded him.

"Well true but that was because he told her that she had the personality of Joan Rivers and the body of a holocaust victim. That would piss anyone off." Kyou argued, shaking his head.

Putting her hands over her mouth Kagome laughed, unable to hold it back. "No kidding. I'd be tempted to murder a guy too if he said those sorts of things about me."

"Who the hell is Joan Rivers and what's the Holocaust?" Inu yasha wanted to know.

"Joan Rivers is a really annoying woman and when he said she looked like a holocaust victim he meant she was skin and bones." Kagome explained, not about to get into World War Two history with Inu yasha. His opinion of the human race was pretty low already without getting into a discussion on one of the most terrible atrocities humankind had ever committed in her time period.

* * *

"Well I'll certainly have my hands full." Sango said dryly, imagining being overrun with women trying to get at her sons. They might not all be the rake her youngest appeared to be but with her as their mother they had to at least have some manners. Unlike their father, Sango mentally added, sending him a dark look. 

"Two down and two more to go. Well son wise anyway." Kyou said, looking pointedly at Sora who just gave him a don't go there look.

"Your stupidity is showing. Only one of my brothers has a mate." Sora pointed out, giving him a light whack upside the head.

"Yeah but Nomi and Kiyoshi are practically engaged." Kyou argued, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean the idiot's got to get around to it sooner or later. I mean I know he's slow to do things but it's starting to get ridiculous. The way things are going she'll ask him before he asks her."

"I wonder how long it would take him to decide to say yes." Sora said with a faint smirk. Her brother was unfortunately very slow to make up his mind on anything. He always had to weigh things and consider the alternatives before he acted. Poor Nomi.

"Lets just hope not so long that she ends up withdrawing it." Was Andrea's opinion on the matter.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Future 

"So what's going on in that head of yours?" Ronin asked as he sat down beside his brother on the porch, facing the garden area where their nieces and nephews were running around with a soccer ball. Kiyoshi was supposed to be watching them but he looked a million miles away. Then again, when it was Kiyoshi it was never wise to assume he wasn't perfectly aware of what was going on around him.

"Nothing that concerns you." Was Kiyoshi's response, his eyes never leaving the gardens. Ronin was never one to go to when it came to advice anyway. His older brother was intelligent but usually hid it behind his often smart aleck attitude. The only time Ronin could be counted on to put a serious face on willingly was in front of their father. Their father didn't tolerate sass from his children, even now that they were all grown up and as big as he was.

Taking a shot in the dark as to what or in this case who could be on his brother's mind Ronin elbowed his little brother lightly in the side. "So how's Nomi doing?"

"Her condition hasn't changed since you saw her at breakfast." Was his dry response. Kiyoshi was, after all, unquestionably smarter then Ronin. A lot smarter. In other words he could see through his brother like a pane of glass.

"Well that's good. Now that she's nearly her old self again we won't have to worry about all her admirers coming here bearing get well tokens of their love and affection." Kiyoshi might have been smarter but Ronin was an excellent button pusher.

* * *

"We both know they're too afraid to set foot on our land without father's permission." Kiyoshi pointed out, his eyes just a little cooler to indicate that right button had been pressed. He disliked it a great deal when other demons came to try and court any female member of his family. They were always annoying, unintelligent weaklings that were easily gotten rid of. One would have thought that the demon world would have caught onto the fact that you didn't get into this family unless you were their mental and physical equals. That and no one was good enough for the women in his family, Kiyoshi added to himself. 

"Yeah, especially after Dare tied that last one after Sora to a giant roasting pit and tried to cook him." Ronin said as his mouth twitched in amusement. "Boy was Sora ever pissed off."

"Well none of the women in our family like it when we dispose of the men before they can." Kiyoshi reminded him, recalling Dare's actions with some fondness. The guy had been a pig demon after all and pork had always been a favorite of his.

"Too true. But it's our job to do it. We're their older brothers and cousins. As it is we let Triton and Linc steal Rin and Hotaru right from under us!"

"We were children when Rin married Triton and anyone can see that Hotaru and Linc fit like two interlocking pieces of a puzzle." Shaking his head at his brother Kiyoshi was glad he wasn't as obsessed as Dare and Ronin were about monitoring and checking out every guy that showed an interest in a female member of their family. He and Kohaku at least had the sense to wait and see if it was serious before they intervened.

* * *

"Uncle Ronin! Come play with us!" Sakura called over, having just noticed that another one of her uncles had arrived. Running over with the ball in her hands the other children followed, crowding around their uncles. 

"Looks to me like you're playing kick the ball all over the place, munchkin." Ronin said with affection as he reached out to ruffle the hair of his sister's oldest daughter. She looked just like Rin had as a child and if that continued they were going to have to help Triton beat the men off with sticks. And didn't that sound like fun. Well unless they were male water demons. Then it would hurt more than amuse. In that case it was probably better to let Triton handle it.

"Pay ball?" Ariel asked, holding onto her sister's skirt as the four year old looked at her uncles questioningly.

"Yeah, at least then we could actually play a game." Makoto grumbled from the other side of his second cousin. Since they were letting the little kids play with them all they could really do was kick the ball around. He was eight after all and much to big to play with his little cousins. Unfortunately his mommy was helping out in the orchard and his daddy was working at the shrine today and was too busy. Plus he'd promised his grandma Kagome to watch out for his little sister who was around Ariel's age and just as babyish. She couldn't even say play right.

* * *

"I think the game would be even more uneven if your uncle Kiyoshi and I played too." Ronin said with a chuckle, understanding the sentiments exactly. When he'd been a kid he hadn't enjoyed his little cousin Mika always wanting to play with him and his brothers either. Especially when it got to the point where she started kicking their asses at whatever sport they were playing. Kohaku was the only one that could match her when it came to speed. 

"We could do something else?" Rogan suggested, ever the peacemaker like his mother. Shirtless, his little white wings fluttered in the breeze as he waited to see what the others thought of his suggestion. Quiet by nature he only talked when it was necessary or he thought it was in everyone's best interest that he spoke up. If Sakura or Makoto was in charge opening his mouth was often a requirement.

"Like what?" Akane, Makoto's little sister wanted to know, in the process of climbing into her Uncle Kiyoshi's lap where she happily snuggled while she waited to see what their new game would be.

"Well we could go swimming. It would be okay if Uncle Ronin and Uncle Kiyoshi were there to watch us and make sure none of the little kids drown." Makoto suggested as all eyes went to their uncles who squirmed under those puppy eyes.

* * *

"Uhm well..what the hell. Swimming sounds good to me. Kiyoshi?" Ronin asked with a chuckle, looking over at his younger brother who was frowning at him. "What?" 

"You shouldn't swear in front of the children." Kiyoshi replied, a pointed look down where Akane was fiddling with his robes. "If they go back to their mothers swearing you can bet Chelsea, Hotaru and Rin will do more than just box your ears."

Wincing because that was unfortunately true Ronin could only hope that if it did happen he could use his near death experience to get off lightly. "They wouldn't do that to their Uncle Ronin, would you guys?" Ronin said with a hopeful look on his face.

"What'll you give us?" Makoto wanted to know, a gleam coming into his golden eyes. He was Inu yasha's grandson after all.

"Makoto! That's not nice!" Akane said with a pout as she looked up at her big brother. "I'll tell Mommy on you."

"How about in exchange for you all watching your language Ronin and I will take you all swimming in the watering hole." Kiyoshi suggested, coming to his idiot brother's rescue. "Then we'll go to the orchard and help with the fruit gathering."

The kids cheering in delight they marched through the gardens with Akane and Makoto perched on Kiyoshi's shoulders and Ariel and Sakura on Ronin's. Rogan walked between his two uncles, content to follow along behind. His Uncle Ronin had promised to carry him back and unlike his cousins he was capable of waiting his turn. Coming to the swimming hole the kids were eagerly set down, waiting impatiently while their uncles stripped down to their pants before they were allowed to wade into the water. Only Sakura and Ariel were allowed in the water without adults there. Soon the garden was full of shrieks and yelps as a water fight erupted.

* * *

Meanwhile in the orchard fifteen minutes later Kagome, Chelsea and Hotaru looked up with puzzlement as they noticed that in the last five minutes the number of young women had diminished noticeably. "Where did they all go?" Kagome asked her daughter, wiping some sweat from her eyes. It was a really hot day and she'd kill for a can of ice cold Coke. 

"Well it is getting awfully hot." Sango pointed out as she came over with a basket full of apples, having overheard Kagome's comment. "As soon as I finish one more basket I'm going to the swimming hole to cool off."

"Now that sounds like an idea I can get behind." Chelsea said with a sigh, pushing back her damp blonde bangs. "I hope Kiyoshi remembered to put sunscreen on the kids. They're so fair skinned that part demon or not they'll burn and the last thing I need after today is a sunburned Makoto."

"He'll remember. It's Kiyoshi." Kagome said with a chuckle. Her nephew rarely missed a beat when it came to what needed to be done and when. Not that getting her grandson to stand still long enough to apply the sunscreen wouldn't be a challenge.

* * *

Turning back to their work as they all focused on one tree together Chelsea and Hotaru climbed up the tree, dropping down the apples for the other two to catch and add to their baskets. "God, where are they all going?" Kagome muttered under her breath, realizing that her daughter and daughter in law were the only young women left in the whole orchard. 

Their answer came a few minutes later when Rin came over, shaking her head as she came over to see how things were progressing. "What's so funny?" Sango wanted to know, looking at her daughter questioningly.

"I went to go check on the kids and make sure they were sunscreened and not driving Kiyoshi up the wall. He and Ronin have them down at the swimming hole and I can guarantee you there's no way any of those kids could possibly drown at the moment."

"Oh? What did the guys do?" Kagome wanted to know.

"Oh they didn't do anything. But pretty much all the young women of the village are there enjoying the view. If one of the kids got into trouble there's no way someone won't notice."


	36. Protecting Their Mommy

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else so give credit where credit is due. Thanks to all my constant readers and reviewers, I love you all lol.

Protecting Their Mommy

The next time they stopped Sango took advantage of that to separate from the group slightly to change into some spare clothes since her own hadn't been washed in longer than she cared to remember. Rubbing the body cream into her skin that Kagome had lent her Sango had to smile. This was probably the only reason why she hadn't really started to bother Sesshoumaru, Kouga and Inu yasha. The sweet, citrus smell almost masked the fact that she needed a washing as much as her slayer suit. Putting her slayer outfit into a cloth bag she fidgeted slightly in her kimono, not exactly good for fighting in now that her cat suit wasn't underneath. Well at least Sesshoumaru would have to make sure nothing killed her until these bracelets were off and no longer in effect. Lifting her wrist she studied the mark Sesshoumaru left there, no longer covered by the sleeves of her suit. Yet another reason she missed her suit, big time. Unfortunately that suit had been absorbing her sweat for too long to be wearable now that she had a choice. Sensing something she whirled around just as a demon came flying down from above, his claws raised to attack as she dropped her cloth bag to the ground, reaching for the sword she'd carelessly set on the ground beside her. The demon never got a chance to be a threat though since one second she was staring up at the demon's claws and then the next all she could see was a well tanned and muscular back with the kanji for demon tattooed onto his back.

* * *

"Now that was just a bad idea." Dare informed the demon as he punched the demon into flying back the way he'd come. "We don't take kindly to demons trying to hurt our mommy. Do we, Kohaku?"

"No." Was his brother's response as he walked over from the shadows of the trees, carelessly sending out his green, whip like attack that quickly sliced the demon into pieces. Without pausing in stride it was as if he'd done nothing but swat a fly from his shoulder. Scary.

"Kohaku? Dare?" Sango asked slowly, watching as the muscular back turned around to reveal an equally muscular stomach that someone could use as a washboard. Standing up from her crouched position Sango slowly lifted her head to look into a pair of mischievous golden eyes, a face just like Sesshoumaru's only without all the hair and a hell of a lot more personality.

"Hi, Mommy!" Dare announced as he pulled her into a big hug. "We found you!"

"Hello, Mother." Kohaku added, standing at Dare's side. When his annoying little brother was done hugging their mother to death he pulled her into a more sedate hug of his own before letting her go. "Where are the others? I understand that Sora, Kyo and Andrea are with you."

"You're wearing an earring!" Was all Sango could think to say as she stared at her first born. This son looked exactly like his father in every way except that Kohaku was wearing his hair up in a high ponytail and of course, the earring. "Oh and they're...on their way." Sango finished, hearing them call her name. "I guess they were upwind of you."

"Yes." Kohaku said as he and Dare turned to face the coming people, both neatly putting their mother behind them in an instinctively protective move.

* * *

Having scented demons near where Sango had gone Sora had alerted everyone to the fact that the demons they were smelling were in fact her brothers. It still came as a shock to everyone though as they came into the small clearing to see two replicas of Sesshoumaru standing there, with only small but obvious differences separating them from their father.

"What took you two so long? Where are the others? Why the hell are neither of you wearing tops?" Sora demanded to know, even as she headed over to give Kohaku a quick hug since she hadn't seen her oldest brother before. He wouldn't come over and hug her in front of people but she knew he'd want to. This way he could blame it on her.

"We kinda had to take a walk in a desert. By the half way point the only one of us wearing a top was Dad and Aiden." Dare explained with a grin as he lifted a hand to wave at his aunt and uncle who were staring at him dumbly. "Hey, Aunt Kagome! Nice skirt." He added with a charming wink.

Visibly swallowing as she waved back Kagome tried repeating over and over again in her head that this man was her nephew. Try telling her hormones that, Kagome thought with a sigh, trying not to drool. So this was what Sesshoumaru would be like with a personality adjustment. Wow.

"Where ARE the others?" Kyou asked as he came over to greet his cousins, yelping when Kohaku whacked him upside the head. "OWWW!"

"From Keely." Was his cousin's calm reply.

"Like you didn't enjoy doing that." Kyou muttered, rubbing the back of his head. Not that his head wasn't used to this sort of abuse. Between Andrea and Mika it was a wonder he hadn't been brain damaged by now. "And what did I do?"

"Do the words 'Don't mess around with those scrolls, Kyou' ring any bells?"

"It was an accident!"

* * *

"Now where have we heard that excuse before." Dare said with a grin as he threw a casual arm around his mom's shoulder, grinning down at her while she looked up at him like she didn't know what to do. "Takes some getting use to, huh?"

"You could say that. You're nothing like your father." Sango answered, instinctively looking over in Sessshomaru's direction. He hadn't moved and had yet to say a word to either of his sons. Jakken was watching in displeasure and it was obvious that Rin didn't know what to think at the appearance of these two men who looked so much like her master.

"You don't need to tell me that. I'd go over and hug him but he'd swat me for it in the future so I'd hate to see what he'd do to me now." Dare whispered to his mother, mischief gleaming in his eyes.

"I would hate for my son to die so young." Sango agreed, unable not to grin back at him. Oh but he was a charmer. It was a shame his father didn't take after him. Then again with Sesshoumaru's personality she'd never have to beat other women off with a stick the way she'd imagine her sons' wives would have to do.

"Here comes Triton and Aiden." Kohaku announced, giving everyone the heads up as they turned to see the latest additions to their group arrive. The fact that Aiden was unconscious and slugged over Triton's shoulder like a bag of grain didn't help.

* * *

"What happened to him?" Miroku demanded to know, rushing over to meet the two. This was his son after all, even if he hadn't even had the pleasure of creating him yet. "Is he hurt?"

"We had to knock him out." Triton explained, raising at eyebrow as he looked the monk over. The two could be brothers. Unlike Kagome and Sango Miroku had aged and Triton had never met this man when he was this young. The similarities were striking. "He'll awaken in a bit."

"What do you mean, had to knock him out?" Miroku demanded to know, not trusting this demon even if the others seemed to. Besides, why would they need to knock the boy out? It wasn't like the boy was a hot head like Inu yasha.

"We were in a desert situation and the pain became too much to bear. He asked to be knocked out and Dare and I took turns carrying him." Triton explained logically, not worried about the monk in the least. Of all the people he was faced with at the moment Miroku posed the least amount of threat, wind tunnel or not.

"It's because of the burns on his back, Uncle Miroku." Dare called out, knowing that Triton's explanation didn't really explain exactly why Aiden had had to be knocked out. "Kiyoshi and Ronin's healed well but because Aiden's human...well his back is extremely sensitive to heat and that's why he had to keep his shirt on and be knocked out."

Handing Aiden over to Miroku Triton turned his head as Mika came crashing into the clearing with an unconscious Ren over her shoulders.

"Hey, everyone!" Mika called out as she literally threw Ren off her shoulder before rushing over to catch Kyou in a big hug before she slugged him hard in the gut. While he fell to the ground in a fetal position, his arms wrapped around his stomach, Mika stood over him and launched into the lectures of all lectures as she tore verbal strips off of him for what he'd done. Everyone watching Kagome actually timed it, the speech ending at just under six and a half minutes. "And if you ever do anything so stupid again I'm going to castrate you to insure that you don't have children that can damage our family name even more than you have. Do you understand?"

Whimpering Kyou nodded his head rapidly, not daring to even sit up until he was sure she wasn't going to hit him again.

"Good." Nodding in satisfaction she reached down and hauled him up to his feet, keeping a strong hold on his collar just in case. "Now, what have I missed?"

* * *

"Where are the others?" Sora asked Kohaku while Kyou babbled out an explanation of everything that had happened since he'd arrived with Andrea. She was a little worried about the whole father meet father thing. Then there would be her mother in the middle which was probably not a good place to be under any circumstances. Things were bad enough between her parents as it was without throwing her 'real' father into the mix. Especially since her father had the memories and the history with Sango while her other father would probably want the both of them to end up six feet under.

"Hermione and Mina went out to get a lay of the land. The guardians of the gates wouldn't allow father and Shippou to come through the gates. Apparently it's not advisable to have future meet past."

"Well that makes sense. Not to mention that it would have been annoying having to clarify which one you were referring to when you said their name." Looking over at Kouga, who'd gone over to look at Ren Sora turned back to her brother. "What happened to him?"

"Ever since Mika brought him out of that test..well he was picking fights right and left. He started to shoot his mouth off about how Aiden was obviously struggling and Aiden refused to be knocked out because of it. Mika knocked Ren out first and carried him the rest of the way so that Aiden would let us knock him out."

"Remind me again why you brought the wolf with you." She disliked the wolf demon species on a principle, only putting a select few in the category of worthy of the air they breathed. Kouga and his family were some of those exceptions but Ren definitely wasn't. She would admit that Ren had potential but as long as he tried to be like his father the more likely it was that someday she'd be slicing him into bite sized pieces. Generally her immediate family kept away from the wolf clans but when the occasion called for it...it wouldn't be the first time the slayers of her mother's village, not to mention her family had shed the blood of wolves, particularly those belonging to Manta.

"It was Hermione's idea. Mika only let him come because she's hoping he'll be killed in the place of one of us." Dare called out as he came over with their mother, his arm wrapped around her waist as the family stood together. Looking over he watched his father watch them, little Rin at his side with Jakken looking none to pleased in the background. "And you know, I thought he was damn intimidating before. Now...scary."

* * *

"Want me to take you two over?" Sango offered, looking for an excuse to give the silent bastard a piece of her mind. Being cruel to their children was a perfect excuse and she knew she could count on Sesshoumaru to be his usual bastard self.

"Might as well." With an exaggerated sigh Dare slid his arm away and with a son on either side Sango walked over with a look in her eyes that just dared Sesshoumaru to say something to set her off. Both men knowing what to do they stopped just in front of their father and dropping gracefully to one knee, bowing their heads respectfully before their father. They only had to do this in their time on special occasions but right now it was better safe then sorry. Sango of course remained standing and glaring at their father. It felt like home already.

Pleased at the show of respect Sesshoumaru nodded his head regally, the two taking that as a sign that they could rise and meet their father's gaze. Both standing straight and tall, like they were in the military during inspection, not even Dare considered making a crack comment. He'd sworn to his father to look after his mother after all and he couldn't very well do that if he was dead.

So these were his sons, Sesshoumaru thought to himself. They certainly looked like him, especially up close like this. They'd obviously inherited the proper manners that their mother lacked and knew how to greet their father properly. He couldn't say he was particularly pleased that his oldest had an earring and his youngest that tattoo but overall they appeared to be more then satisfactory. Time would only tell as to how much of their mother's character and blood they'd been unfortunate enough to inherit. "Have things settled down with Ferio's troops in your time period?"

* * *

"Yes, father. There are the occasional raids against our family but most of the fighting remains in the mountains." As the oldest it had always fallen on him to give the reports and that aside it was better that their father be exposed to Dare's personality quirks in small doses, Kohaku thought in inner amusement. He had promised his mother to look after the idiot and it was his duty as the older, certainly as the smarter one. "They were weak before they lost Ferio's direct guidance. They're reduced to attacking weaker holdings now."

"Like my pack?" Kouga wanted to know, his ears having pricked up at the mention of the mountains.

"We've done what we can there. The amount of help we could provide was severely limited thanks to our presence not being welcomed by many." Dare answered with a regretful shrug. "I'm afraid it's very much a case of pride coming before a fall. Possibly a very big, very high body count fall."

"Manta." Muttering the name like it was a curse Kouga's eyes wandered back over to where Ren remained on the ground, still out for the count. "And it looks like the son that would replace him isn't much better."

"Actually, Darling, he'd be a big improvement." Enjoying the fact that she'd caught her husband off guard Mina slid her arms around his waist from behind, pressing against him as she nipped his ear playfully. "Hi."

Nearly leaping out of his skin Kouga whirled around, his dark eyes locking onto her mischievous green ones as she held his gaze. Animal sex appeal hitting him over the head like a club Kouga stared at her dumbly. Well this explained why he'd chosen to take her as his mate. By all the gods!

* * *

"Hi, Daddy!" Hermione called from the other side of the clearing where she'd gone over to check on Aiden who appeared to still be out of it. "Shouldn't he be awake already? Dare didn't hit him that hard." Hermione asked with a worried look in her eyes as she crouched down to get a better look at her friend. He did not look good.

"He'll awaken shortly." Triton answered with bothering to look in her direction. His attention was caught on the small girl who was slowly inching her way over to where he was. No one had to tell him who she was, even if he hadn't been a telepath. Walking over to meet her half way he got down on one knee so that he'd be closer to her own height and less threatening.

"Hi." Rin said shyly, looking into the exotic face that had been watching her so intently. She wasn't afraid of him and she thought he was really handsome.

"Hello, Rin." He answered, nodding his head slightly in greeting. "Do you know who I am?"

A considering look on her face she took his question to mean that he was related to the others in some way. He wasn't married to any of the girls here and he had been staring at her when he arrived. All the other girls were a lot older and prettier then her too. So maybe...just maybe... "Are you the demon I'm going to get married to when I'm big?"

Giving her another small nod he got to his feet, patting her on the head as he would one of their daughters. "If there's trouble, come to my side. I'll take care of you."

"That's Jakken's job."

"Yes, and he's never quite been up to the job, now has he?"

With a giggle Rin nodded her head, smiling up at him. "Good point."


	37. Come Into My Web

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I've put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else so keep that in mind. Thanks for reading and please review!

To happybum: What I meant was that during her brief return to her time she didn't see Kohaku.

To Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi Fan: Can you send me a link to the picture, I accidentally lost it.

Come Into My Web

After the rest of the introductions were finished it was time to pack up and get moving. Mika regretfully picked up Ren again while Dare finally managed to rouse Aiden by throwing water in his best friend's face. Coming awake on a sputter the young man opened his eyes to see Dare and a man who could pass for his double hovering over him. "What the hell...Father?"

"Yeah..uhm..hi." Miroku replied, not sure what else to say as his son shifted into a sitting position. "How's your head?"

Gingerly feeling the back of his head Aiden was pleased to see that other then a slight, dull ache it wasn't that bad. "It's all right. I guess they found you guys and everything all right for the moment." Looking around he grinned slightly as he watched Mika drop Ren back onto the ground to come over to see how he was doing.

"Do you want something for it?" Hermione asked, elbowing Dare out of her way slightly so that she could get a better look at him.

"Looks like Ren needs your attention more." Was his cool reply, ignoring the look of confusion and hurt that passed across her eyes as he got up and brushed past her, walking over to Mika. "Hey, Mika, can you do my back for me? I'll be ready to go then." He added with an apologetic look in Dare's father's direction since he was the one most likely to be pissed off by any sort of delay.

"Sure." Taking Aiden's pack from Dare Mika rummaged through it while Aiden took a seat on a nearby rock and carefully removed him T-shirt, grinching his teeth slightly. It had definitely been sunburned through his shirt and there was going to be hell to pay.

* * *

"By the Gods." Miroku breathed, staring at his son's scarred back in acute horror. The skin was red with irritation and was a mass of scar tissue that looked new even though Sora and Kyou had indicated that his son had gotten these wounds as a child. They looked fresh and glaringly painful.

Equally horrified Kagome quickly retrieved her First Aid kit and getting out some painkillers palmed the highest dosage allowed, bringing it over to the boy along with a bottle of water. "You take this." She ordered, already having perfected the no nonsense tone of a mother. Having Kyou around to take care of was wearing off on her.

"Thanks, Aunt Kagome." Not having the heart to tell her that they wouldn't do any good he took them and swallowing them took a hefty swallow of the water before giving it back to her. Sensing Mika behind him he automatically grinched his teeth, giving a slight hiss as her hands, however gentle, connected with his flesh. She had plenty of experience and was doing the best she could but there was no way to do this and not feel in agony. He should know having lived more than a decade with these scars on his back.

"How bad?" Dare wanted to know, studying Aiden's face since he wouldn't put it past his friend to lie. If there was only one thing he could change in his whole life it would be taking Aiden's place under that lash. It should have been him to begin with. But there was nothing he could do but watch over his best friend and try to make things as easy as possible. Which was not an easy task, Dare thought with a sigh.

"I've been better but I can handle it. Where's Sonya?" Aiden asked as he looked around for their tiger but not seeing her anywhere.

"She ran off just before we found these guys. She'll show up as soon as she's done whatever she's doing." Sonya was far from a house cat and it wasn't unusual for her to disappear without warning and appear just as suddenly. Of course they'd never been in the past before but since they were probably going to be stuck here for a while he wasn't worried yet.

"Who's Sonya?" Miroku wanted to know. Last time he'd checked that wasn't a name that had been mentioned yet.

"She's our tiger. More of a friend then a pet though." Aiden explained as he turned his head slightly. "Thanks, Mika. It's already going numb." Standing up he shrugged his shirt back on before taking his pack from her. "Okay, I'm ready to go."

* * *

Meanwhile Hermione continued to poke at Ren, alternating between that and looking over at Aiden. Aiden was mad at her. Aiden was never mad at her. What the hell had she done to make Aiden mad, Hermione wondered to herself, not happy at the idea at all. Aiden was her buddy and was one of the most easy going people she knew. It took a lot to get him upset and he was never deliberately mean to people because he had always been picked on because of his female phobia. Had she said or done something he'd taken the wrong way?

"Quit poking me."

Blinking Hermione looked down to see Ren's eyelashes fluttering as the wolf demon struggled to open his eyes. "Hey there, stranger. Rise and shine." She said softly as she helped him into a setting position. "How do you feel?"

"My head is pounding. What the hell hit me?" Ren asked roughly as his fingers gingerly touched the back of his head where they easily found the large lump he didn't recall getting. God but he hadn't had a headache this bad since... Everything coming back to him his eyes narrowed and went blank as they scanned the area around him. Making note of the other people in his vicinity he drew the logical conclusion. "We got to the past I see."

"Do you want something for your headache, Ren?" Hermione asked as she watched him get to his feet, the idiot being too prideful to remain on the ground now that he realized who was here with them.

"No."

* * *

"Hey, yay. Now I don't have to carry him." Mika said with a smile as she changed her direction so that she could walk beside Aiden instead now that she didn't need to carry Ren. Good since she got the distinct impression Aiden was in need of some emotional support. Dare might be Aiden's best friend but he wasn't exactly a spill your guts to sort of guy.

"You hit me, didn't you?" Ren demanded to know, turning his head to glare at her. Everything that was wrong in his life could be traced back to her, Ren thought bitterly, wishing the situation was different, wishing everything was different. If she hadn't beaten him all those years ago his father would respect him. It was her fault somehow that he'd had to go on this stupid mission, that he'd had to go through that..that test...oh by the Gods that test. Going pale just remembering it Ren had to use all his pride and stubbornness to remain on his feet. He would not appear weak. Not now and not ever again.

"Just be glad I didn't just cut out your tongue and do the world a favor." Mika shot back, her eyes just daring him to push the matter. "And before you say something stupid remember that you're surrounded by MY family members. Aunt Mina and Hermione might try to protect you but not even they could beat Uncle Sesshoumaru, Kohaku and me."

"Hey!"

"Sorry, Daddy, but Aunt Mina is Aunt Mina. She's pretty ass kicking. Uncle Sesshoumaru and I would have to team up on Hermione as it is."

"Are you suggesting that Kohaku could take me on his own?" Mina asked, raising an interested eyebrow. She'd heard the rumors about Sesshoumaru's oldest son but she'd never actually seen anything to back up the allegations. Of course she'd never seen Kohaku lose his temper before which was what had apparently happened in that legendary instance. If you were to believe rumors of course. It was pretty hard to imagine it though.

* * *

"I could." Was Kohaku's short statement, completely devoid of pride or boastfullness. He was simply stating facts. "And we should be going. We're wasting sunlight."

"Where are we going anyway?" Miroku wanted to know. "We have no idea where this Ferio creature is and our only link to him is no longer available. Not to mention the fact that that's probably going to be true for a while."

"I sense an extremely strong demonic barrier about a day and a half from here. Could it be him?" Triton commented, not sure if that was going to be of any use or not. He didn't recall ever being this far inland before. As it was he was exhausted thanks to being dried out in that damn thing Kohaku had called a desert. He had a better name for it thought and it was hell.

Doing some quick calculations in his head as to where exactly they were and what he knew of the area Sesshoumaru shook his head. "No, I know who that barrier belongs to. Ferio would avoid it too. Satsuki's hatred of ugly things as well as her connection to me is well known."

"Satsuki...OH NO!" Dare yelped, looking like someone had just told him that Christmas was canceled. "Don't tell me we're near HER house!"

"Her who?" His mother wanted to know.

"Her! SATSUKI! The twisted, dominatrix pin up with serious relationship issues!"

* * *

"The men in our family dislike her immensely." Kohaku explained since his brother wasn't doing a very good job of that at all. "Her father was friends with our grandfather and we have upon occasion gone to visit their holdings. Or at least until you forbid father to take us there unless it was an emergency."

"And why did I do that?" Sango wanted to know, knowing even before he answered that she wasn't going to like his answer at all. She wasn't sure exactly what a dominatrix was but it didn't sound good at all.

"I would imagine because she would attempt to seduce them."

Everyone turning to look at Sesshoumaru the demon lord simply shrugged his shoulders slightly. He couldn't say he was really surprised to hear that Satsuki was as bad in the future as she was since the last time he'd seen her. He'd hazard to guess that all four of his sons had been on the receiving end of Satsuki's seduction attempts and was pleased to see that they had apparently judged the demoness correctly. If she'd gotten her claws into any of them he would have known it immediately upon seeing them. Satsuki's victims weren't all that hard to spot, Sesshoumaru thought with inner amusement.

"Seduce isn't the word. That woman needs Doctor Phil. Badly." Aiden said with a grimace, adjusting the straps of his backpack carefully. Thankfully he'd never met the demoness but he'd heard the stories and those had been bad enough. A horrible thought entering into his head Aiden turned to give his dad a hard look. "Don't even think about hitting on her, Father."

"He's not her type." Sesshoumaru pointed out dryly. "Breaking him would be child's play to her."

"Breaking him?" Kouga repeated, not liking the sound of this at all.

"She's a ball breaker, sweetie." Mina explained with a grin as she wrapped her arms around his neck as she smiled up at him. "Apparently her favorite past time is collecting strong, good looking men and then proceeding to break them to the point where they end up as spineless weaklings begging her to take them back. That's why she's been after Sesshoumaru for centuries now. He's the only one she's ever come across that she hasn't been able to make her pet. At least that's what Kagome told me."

"Well that and he dumped her." Kyou added, ever helpful.

* * *

"You were courting this monster?" Sango demanded, looking over at Sesshoumaru like he'd grown two heads. How could he have ever been involved with such a terrible person? Then again, how dare he expose their poor, innocent boys to this evil bitch's clutches. Eyes flashing, if looks could kill the demon lord would have no longer been standing upright.

"Not that it's any of your business but I never had any intention of taking her as my mate. Our fathers arranged it and I didn't have a say in the matter." Unfortunately for him his father had spent so much time away from these lands that he'd had no idea just what sort of girl Satsuki had grown into when he'd agreed to Satsuki's father's proposal of alliance. He'd quite happily called it off as soon as his father had passed on to the next world. There were few things he could think of that were worse than being stuck with Satsuki for several centuries. She'd have been a lousy mate and an even worse mother. Then again, given her personality he'd likely have had to kill her for her infidelities before their first month of living together was up.

"You were going to marry her!"

Raising an eyebrow at the expression on the slayer's face Sesshoumaru couldn't quite get why she was so upset about this. It wasn't like he'd wanted to be engaged to the woman. Sango sounded almost...jealous? Could that be why she was upset, Sesshoumaru wondered, studying the slayer a little more closely now. Did she care enough about him already to feel such an emotion? Hoe interesting and unnerving at the same time.

* * *

"We're getting off topic again." Kohaku pointed out, trying to nip this argument in the bud. His mother's hatred of Satsuki and vice versa were legendary in his time, especially their fights. The last thing he needed was the headache of his parents arguing about a woman who anyone with any sense would avoid.

"Pathetic, letting some woman break them like that." Ren scoffed to Hermione as they stayed a safe distance from the quarreling couple in case it broke out into a full fledged fight.

"Well most demons know her reputation, they're just stupid and arrogant enough to believe that they'll be the one to put her in her place." Sora explained, shaking her head at Ren. "Why do you think he appeals to her so much? He's one of the most strong, arrogant, and self contained demon I've ever met. Nothing fazes him and no one tells him what to do which is exactly why she's obsessed with him. Breaking him would be the ultimate prize for her, especially since everyone knows she's been trying and failing at it for centuries."

"Well in that case...Andrea, take care of your brother in law, I'll take care of Dare." Sango ordered before sending her future husband a dark look. "You can do whatever you want but if we run into this woman my sons aren't going anywhere near her."

"Uhmmm...if we did run into her...what are we going to say about the fact that there are three of us here who are obviously very closely related to Father?" Dare asked, giving his mother an impromptu hug for going all protective on him. Since he'd been taller than her by the time he was thirteen it had been a while since he'd needed her to be. Then again, he'd take any defense against the infamous Satsuki that he could get.

* * *

"Are we going in that direction?" Was the question Shippou thought should be the most important. If they were this was going to be one of the few times he was desperately glad he was still a little kid.

"Actually, we need to be more concerned about the demonic aura coming this way at neck breaking speed." Sesshoumaru pointed out, his oldest son nodding. Everyone turning to face the coming force their faces all portrayed various degrees of surprise, pity and in Sesshoumaru's case resignation.

"Lord Sesshoumaru of the West! I challenge you to a duel to the death!" The demon screamed out, dressed shabbily and looking half starved. There was a wild, almost rabid look in those brown eyes that hinted at near madness as he practically swayed over to them drunkenly. Of course anyone would agree that challenging Lord Sesshoumaru to a fight was a definite sign of madness.

"She's really not worth it." Sesshoumaru tried, knowing even as he said it that it wasn't going to do either of them any good. He'd long since lost track of the number of Satsuki's lovers he'd put out of their misery over the years. Apparently she just loved to tell them that every character flaw in herself was because he had mistreated her and broken her heart when he'd casted her aside. Yeah right.

"You're not worthy to speak her name, you pathetic scum! You broke her heart, destroyed her so that she won't trust the word of any man. No matter how much I tell her I love her, no matter what I do for her she won't believe me. She's casted me aside and it's all your fault!" Pulling his sword from it's sheath everyone noticed that his hand was visibly shaking. From rage or the knowledge that what he was doing was incredibly stupid was unknown.

* * *

"You do realize that you're one of hundreds of demons she's slept with and used, right?" Dare piped up, not really wanting his father to kill the poor bastard. Every man got tangled up with a bad woman somewhere along the line. This one had just tangled himself in the web of the Queen Black Widow herself.

"How dare you!"

"Well that is my name, yes." Dare replied somewhat cheekily. He couldn't help it, it always cracked him up when someone said something with his name in it like that.

"You leave my Master alone, you big bully." Rin informed the demon with her hands on her small hips. "He didn't do anything to you or this stupid Satsuki."

"If this is what she does to men I can understand Sesshoumaru hating Father for this alone." Inu yasha commented as they listened to the demon rant about his beautiful Satsuki and how all the terrible things she'd done to him was somehow Sesshoumaru's fault. "If he'd engaged me to someone like her I'd hate him too."

"Let him live, Father." Sora said quietly as she walked up beside him. "He's pathetic and not worth your while. You do..however...require a new arm, don't you?"

"Point taken." Lifting a hand Sesshoumaru had sliced the demon's arm in question off before the demon had time to even realize what was happening. The arm hitting the ground with a soft thud the demon just looked down at it like he'd never seen it before. "Run now and you keep the rest of your limbs and your life."

The demon just standing there dumbly Triton rolled his eyes then using his telekinesis sent the demon flying up into the air and then hurled him several miles away. With any luck the poor bastard would land on something sharp that would end his torment.

Always helpful Rin dashed over and picking up the arm brought it over to her master. Feeling everyone look at her strangely she turned her head, a pout on her adorable face. "What?"


	38. Beware the Maneating Demoness

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else so remember to give credit and criticisms where they're due. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy and review this latest update!

Beware the Man-eating Demoness

Ignoring their reactions Sesshoumaru lifted his original arm and getting a grip on his present, temporary replacement gave it a good, hard yank, which detached it from his shoulder with a rather sickening sound. Throwing the unusable arm away he reached out and taking the new arm slid it into place, holding it there while his body began to assimilate it, attaching it to his own bone and muscle.

"That's really cool..and really gross at the same time." Aiden said under his breath, morbidly fascinated by the whole process. In his time Sesshoumaru's arm had been permanently replaced so he'd never seen his best friend's father have to do this. How cool was that though, to just be able to replace a limb like that. If you got over the whole chopping and pulling off of arm it was majorly wicked. It was like he was Borg or something.

"As much as I hate to point this out...nothing happens in this area without Satsuki's father knowing it. Plus he's a seer, he might be able to tell us more than Lady Tomoyo ever could." Sending her mother a regretful look Sora couldn't not say it either. The sooner they killed Ferio and went home, the better for her chances were of being born. At least she hoped so. Right now, she wasn't so sure her parents weren't doomed to never be her parents. How that would affect the timeline she knew was too mind boggling to comprehend "We women could go, she won't have any interest in us. The rest of you could go scouting out the area instead. My resemblance to Father should be enough to get us an audience with him."

* * *

"Splitting up would be pointless. We need to be close enough that if we did run into Ferio or some other threat we could lend each other aid. In order to be that close to you but still separate would still put us under Satsuki's watch. She'd be keeping an eye out for us anyway seeing as she would have heard that Father is in the area. I would imagine the appearance of this group has turned a number of heads." Kohaku pointed out, not liking the idea any better then the rest of them. After all, for a time Satsuki had contemplated making him his father's replacement in her affections. His parents had put a stop to that but the ingrained dislike of her ran deep. Unfortunately, they had to be practical about all this. The needs of the many and all that communist crap. "You know she makes it her business to collect information about him." He added, to get his point across. 

"Which means she's probably going to come looking for us anyway, right?" Hermione asked, not looking forward to meeting this woman at all. This Satsuki better keep her claws out of her Daddy, Ren and Aiden or she was going to kick some dominatrix ass.

"Probably." Shrugging his shoulders slightly Sesshoumaru wasn't pleased at the idea of seeing Satsuki but his daughter and son both had good points. Plus, the last thing he needed was for Satsuki to come hunt him down or worse, send some of her suitors to collect him. Been there, done that, done the necessary blood shedding. "We'd be better off going to them rather then wait for her or some of her lackeys to arrive."

"Then I guess that's settled." Inu yasha had never met this Satsuki before but he had a feeling he was really going to regret agreeing to go see her father. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the only thing they could do unless they wanted to keep walking around like chickens with their heads cut off. "So what sort of demon is her father? Is he as bad as she is?"

"No, actually. Lord Ayame is his daughter's polar opposite. He's disgustingly harmless." Letting go of his new arm Sesshoumaru flexed the fingers then bent the arm to make sure that everything was in working order. "The barrier over the castle is Satsuki's work. If it weren't for his connection to our family I'd imagine someone would have easily invaded his lands by now."

"Well then, lets get going." Mika announced with a thumbs up. 'The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave!"

* * *

No one was happy as they all trudged towards the holding where hopefully the villainous Satsuki's father could shed some light on where they needed to begin their search for Ferio once more. The women were all worried about their men folk and the men folk with any sense were worried about themselves. After all, their host wasn't likely to help them a hell of a lot if they offended his daughter. It didn't need to be stated for everyone to know that they'd risk being thrown out rather than let the woman get her hooks into any of the men. Probably the only men who weren't weary were Sesshoumaru, Inu yasha and Ren. Sesshoumaru because he was used to dealing with her and Inu yasha and Ren because they were both too pig headed and dense to realize that Satsuki was of any threat to them. Sesshoumaru's sons knew differently of course and Kyou, Aiden and Triton had heard enough horror stories to be equally weary. 

"So what exactly does she do to these guys?" Rin asked from Sango's arms, tired out from a long day of walking with hardly any stop. Triton had carried her for a while and that had been nice too, Rin thought sleepily, laying her head on Sango's shoulder. Triton had smelled like the sea and Sango smelled like flowers.

"Very bad things." Was the best Sango could come up with. After all, she didn't know exactly what this Satsuki did to her men but she had some idea and there was no way she was explaining any of that to the poor girl.

"Oh." Yawning Rin lifted her head to look over at her Master who was leading the way with her "little" brothers walking on either side of him. It was weird to have demons who looked just like her master call her their big sister. "She better not do bad things to Triton or I'll have Master beat her up."

Chuckling Sango turned her head to place an affectionate kiss on the little girl's head. "And if he won't I'll do it for you."

"Thanks, Sango."

* * *

"How pathetic. You'd expect this from half and quarter demons but full grown ones? Afraid of a mere woman." Ren scoffed, walking between Hermione and Mina for the moment. At the moment, they were the only ones who were willing to be around him. Since he'd recovered somewhat from his trip into the mountain he'd been in a mood that brought to mind a mortally wounded predator, ready to snap at the slightest provocation. In other words, everyone was doing their best to keep him as far away from Mika as humanly possible. 

"I get the distinct feelings she's a lot more then a mere woman, Ren." Making allowances since the kid had been traumatized Mina tried not to let that comment get to her. "If she can turn some of the strongest demons around into physiologically castrated puppets...the girl's obviously got skills."

"I almost hope she jumps on Ren like a flea on a dog." Mika muttered, her perfect hearing picking up on Ren's comment as if he'd been standing right beside her. "But in his state she won't be interested in him at all. At least not in her usual way. She might kill him if he keeps shooting his mouth off like that. Unless I kill him first."

"This is one of the few times it's a very good thing that women intimidate the hell out of me." Aiden agreed with a rueful smile, walking beside her. "That and me being human of course." As far as he knew humans didn't interest Satsuki in the least. He could only hope anyway.

"Well if she's tries anything, I'll wipe the floor with her." Slugging a friendly arm over his shoulder Mika smiled, amused as he went red though he didn't look away, a sure sign of their bond.

"Thanks." His smile shy and sweet Aiden knew he could depend on Mika to keep him safe from any girls that might try something. She'd been doing it for years after all.

* * *

"You really are afraid of girls, aren't you?" Miroku commented with a shake of his head, still stunned and shocked at the idea that any son of his, after generations of lechers, was afraid of the fairer sex. What was not to like about them?

"Well not all girls...and afraid isn't exactly the right word." Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly Aiden tried to finds the words to explain to his father, who was obviously having a hard time accepting all this. "I like them well enough...I just get really nervous around them, that's all. If I don't know them, I worry about every little thing I do."

"He does. It's sad." Kyou piped up, patting Aiden on the back sympathetically. "That's why his only real girlfriend was Mika. He's known her since he was a baby after all."

"WHAAAA!" Various heads turned in shock to stare at Aiden and Mika, neither of them understanding why they were being gapped at. Well not right away, it didn't take them long to clue in once the adults started commenting on the fact. 

"You courted Inu Yasha and Kagome's daughter!"

Not quite sure why his father looked like he was going to have a heart attack Aiden slowly nodded his head, his confusion plain on his face. "What's wrong? Your face is bright red."

"Why the hell would you want to go out with him?" Inu yasha demanded to know, staring at his daughter in disbelief. "Your mother could probably kick his ass!"

"Inu yasha, that's mean!" Was said mother's reaction.

"Well that's true, mainly because I'd never raise a hand against Aunt Kagome." Aiden was so used to people telling him that he was a wimp it didn't faze him at all to hear his uncle talking about him that way. The truth was the truth after all. He wasn't a wimp but he was no where in his father or mother's league, much less Mika's.

* * *

"Those two were a couple?" Gapping at Mina and Hermione, both of who had nodded in unison, Ren completely forgot about all his other problems as the idea of those two together blew everything else from his mind. What would a strong, stubborn warrior like Mika want with that weak, submissive human who was actually afraid of not just women but human women at that! They were polar opposites, that human in no way her equal. She might have been only a quarter demon but she could still do better then to lower herself to such a pathetic choice. What had she been thinking? 

"It was a surprise." Mina agreed, understanding his reaction perfectly. "But in a way, I think it could have worked, if they'd decided to stay together. They really did compliment each other nicely."

"No they didn't." Was Hermione's muttered opinion, having never liked the idea of her cousin ending up with Aiden. Anyone with a brain in their head could have seen it was definitely not a match made in heaven. They were so obviously wrong for each other which was why they'd broken up.

"You never did approve." Mina agreed, giving her daughter an amused look. She was pretty sure her daughter had never figured out just why she'd hated the idea so much. It was quite the little triangle their children had going on, thought Mika really didn't factor in anymore, not that Hermione seemed to be aware of it. If course Aiden had no idea either, thanks to her daughter being clueless as well. Ah what tangles we weave when parents didn't interfere, Mina thought to herself, a slightly devious smile on her face. If things didn't improve, she was going to stick her nose in, right where it belonged.

"But she obviously came to her senses and dropped him like a stone." To Ren's way of thinking, that was the only logical explanation. She'd simply gone temporarily mad but had recovered her senses in time before any major harm was done.

"Who's to say." Mina answered with a casual shrug of her shoulders. "They certainly didn't."

* * *

"I just love peoples reactions to those two." Dare commented with a grin, stretching his arms over his head. He was in no rush to go anywhere, especially since there was nothing to look forward to at the end of this walk. "It was always so amusing." 

"Well I still don't get why she'd want to court a guy like him. Well, at least he's better then his father. If he'd been like Miroku, I would have had to kill him." Was Inu yasha's opinion on the whole matter. The idea of his daughter with a pervert like Miroku was too horrible to comprehend. It was bad enough just traveling with the monk.

"Well I think they'd make a cute couple..sort of. I'd have thought Hotaru would be more his type though." Kagome commented as she looked over her shoulder at the young man in question, who was still trying to explain his "condition" to his father.

"Nah, that's the real kicker about Aiden." Dare said with his famous grin aimed in his aunt's direction. "Aiden's just like most of us in our taste in women. We all like our women to have spirit as well as good looks. We all grew up with strong female role models like you after all. A weakling without a backbone wouldn't exactly last long around us either. Can you imagine someone like that being able to handle my father and Aunt Mina?"

"Good point." Was her dry response.

"So your mate is a strong one?" Sesshoumaru asked, knowing that his eldest son was the only one who had a wife. He liked what he'd seen so far of Rin's choice, even if he was only a water demon.

"Strong is not the word I'd use to describe Keely." Dare interjected before Kohaku could answer his father's question. "That's too tame and weak to describe just what sort of a woman she is."

"Unfortunately, your youngest son is too weak minded to handle a woman like my wife." Was Kohaku's icy response as he sent his youngest brother a look that had the younger man cringing slightly. "You approve of her, father. I doubt very much I could have found her better outside of our family."

* * *

It was quite dark when the men called a halt to the grueling pace they'd set to get through Lord Ayame's lands as quickly as possible. The humans in the group were ready to drop and none of them offered to stay up for watch as they pretty much collapsed to the ground to rest while the demons took care of setting up camp. Shippou and Rin had fallen asleep long ago and so the adults kept their voices down as those who needed to eat did so while Kohaku took a perch in a tree to take the first watch. Andrea and Triton had both gone underwater in a nearby river as soon as they'd stopped, stopping only to confirm that they weren't needed for anything else. The humans were all soon asleep once their heads hit whatever they were using as bedding and the demons stretched out as well, some sleeping while others talked quietly amongst themselves. 

Using a tree's trunk as a back rest Ren glared in the direction of Mika who was sleeping on her side with that damn human weakling right beside her, the two facing each other with a shared blanket over them. He didn't know why the sight enraged him so but it did. He hoped the damn blanket caught on fire.

"Interesting bunch." Kouga commented as he took a seat beside the younger wolf demon, trying his best to hide how much he didn't want to be doing this. His mate had ordered him to and he was pretty sure he didn't want to know what she'd do if he didn't. He'd only been around the woman for a little more than a day and already she intimidated the hell out of him. That and she was always touching and cuddling against him when he tried to argue with her. How the hell was he supposed to argue with her when she was doing that anyway?

"It's humiliating being seen with them."

* * *

"No offense, kid, but I get the feeling they'd say the same about you." Kouga said carefully, silently cursing his mate for talking him into doing this. "Now I don't know you but I know your father pretty well so I can get some idea of just what sort of man he expects you to be. I'm not going to lecture you but whatever happened in that mountain...no one here's at fault for that. In fact there's someone in this group you should be thanking for getting you the hell out of there. You wanted to come here for a reason right? To help us all destroy Ferio so that the attacks on our packs will stop. Well you won't do that if you're nothing but a pain in their sides. They don't think much of you and you're just reinforcing that idea by behaving like a sulking brat. Be a man and then maybe you'll have a chance of kicking Mika's butt someday. Right now, we both know you don't stand a chance." Having said his piece, as crappy as it was, Kouga rose and walked over to another tree where he sat down, leaning back against it with a content sigh. His feet were killing him at the moment. 

"So how'd it go?" Mina asked as she plopped down beside her mate, turning her face into his neck to nuzzle there, grinning in the darkness as her sensitive ears heard the sharp gasp he made at the unexpected show of affection.

"How should I know." Doing his best to frown Kouga could feel his cheeks going red as she curved her body against him, molding to his side. By the gods she smelled good, he thought, trying to concentrate and finding it increasingly difficult.

"Awww, you're blushing, aren't you?"

"Shut up."

"Careful...or I'll make you shut up..in a good way of course." Was her seductively teasing answer.

"Nevermind. Talk all you want."


	39. So Very Good

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else so just remember to keep that in mind. Thanks for all your reviews and Merry Christmas!

So Very Good

His turn on guard Dare sat on the rock and scanned the area, his gaze being drawn up to the sky despite himself. Old habits died hard, he thought to himself with a faint smile. It was a gorgeous night and nothing would have suited him more than to stretch out on the grass and watch the sky until he fell asleep. Stupid Satsuki, this was all her fault too. So many things were her fault and if anything happened to his mother he was going to tear her limb from limb, girl or not.

"I doubt very much she'll be coming from above."

Nearly jumping out of his skin it was decades worth of training that kept Dare from falling off the rock as his head snapped around to stare at his father who'd soundlessly approached him. "You never know with her." Dare answered with what he hoped was a casual shrug, doing his best to pretend that he hadn't just had a couple decades of life scared out of him.

"If you can't keep watch I'll take over."

Okay, so he hadn't bought the excuse, Dare thought with a grimace, knowing that he was in deep trouble now. Slacking off was never a good idea when he was supposed to be doing something his father had told him to do. "No, I can handle it, Father. I'm sorry I let myself be distracted. It's just a beautiful night for star gazing."

"You like to star gaze?" Sesshoumaru asked, curious as to whether or not he and his son shared that favored past time. Of course that led his thoughts to the last time he'd star gazed and that was a night he'd prefer to forget. Irritating woman.

"Sure, you and I would go out star gazing every Friday night after everyone had gone to bed when I was a kid. It was our father son time so to speak." Dare answered with a grin, relaxing now that the subject had changed. Maybe he was safe after all. "When we were little you took an interest in at least one thing we liked and would spend time doing it with us, one on one. You took me star gazing, played Go with Kiyoshi, hikes with Ronin, stuff like that."

* * *

After several moments of silence Sesshoumaru spoke again, curiosity getting the better of him. "So you enjoyed these outings?" He'd never enjoyed spending time with his own father. He'd always felt like he was being judged and found lacking no matter what it was they were doing. They certainly hadn't done anything together for mere enjoyment either.

"Well yeah, it was nice to have you all to ourselves every once in a while. I mean we did things as a family that were fun and of course training but it was nice to have your full attention too." Understanding, more than his father could know, Dare decided to tread on what was bound to be touchy ground at the moment. "You're a pretty great dad, you know. Not like grandfather was. We were never really scared of you and we always knew we could depend on you when we needed you. We'll never be the Bradys but really, who'd want to be?"

"The Bradys?"

"Oh, sorry, pop culture reference. Basically what I meant was we'll never be what anyone would consider a perfect family but you have a damn good one if I do say so myself."

"And you're not biased in the least."

"Not in the least." Dare agreed with a cheeky grin.

* * *

The next evening they were a few hours away from their destination when Dare stopped and turned around, a large smile on his face that was surprisingly angelic for once. In other words, it made his mother immediately suspicious. "Sonya's back!"

"Who?" Sango asked, looking at Sora questioningly.

"His tiger. Well his and Aiden's. She ran off before they found us and I think they were both getting a little worried about her." Sora answered, nodding in the direction the cat would be coming from. "And she's bringing someone with her too. We should wait and see who it is."

So they all stopped and after a few minutes the large white tiger broke through the brush, a bloodied arm in her mouth that allowed her to drag a demon behind her who was equally bloody and unconscious for the moment. Dragging him all the way over to Sesshoumaru she dropped her load in front of him, bowed her head slightly then ambled over to Dare who'd gotten down on one knee. Ducking her head she made not a sound as he scratched her behind the ears and came perilously close to baby talking her as he told her what a good girl she was.

Ignoring his son's embarrassing display of affection over a cat of all things Sesshoumaru lowered his gaze to the still figure in front of him. He didn't recognize the young man but thanks to the lack of a shirt he could see the long stripes of flesh that had been removed from the boy's back by a whip of some sort. Definitely one of Satsuki's, though a servant rather than a lover. She liked her servants young and pretty, her lovers mature and dangerous. "A scout perhaps." He deduced, assuming the cat hadn't been random in her attack.

* * *

"Don't most cat's purr when you do that?" Shippou asked, coming over to see the tiger Dare was petting. It was funny seeing a dog demon go all mushy towards a cat, especially a cat who looked like she was tolerating rather than enjoying the attention. "Kirara does."

"Sonya can't purr." Dare explained, giving Sonya's head one last pat before rising back up to his full height. "I've never heard her make a sound as long as we've known her."

"Oh." Giving the cat's muscular shoulder a quick pat Shippou backed away just in case. There was still drying blood on its mouth after all.

"Don't worry, she rarely bites without a reason." Aiden assured Shippou with a smile, understanding the fox demon's action. Sonya was larger than most tigers and she was very intimidating, especially since she made no noise as she came and went like a ghost. Some called her their pet but sometimes he got the distinct feeling they were more her pets than the other was around.

"She wouldn't have sent him far, she's likely nearby or on her way. With her abilities she'll be able to disguise her demonic aura so that we won't sense her approach that way." His eyes keen and sharp Sesshoumaru didn't sense her presence. Yet. "We should continue on our way." Not waiting for agreement he started walking again, paying no mind to the still body he'd left in his wake. To his way of thinking, the boy might appreciate dying by the elements rather than stay in Satsuki's clutches till she grew tired of him.

Everyone seeing no choice but to follow everyone's eyes went instinctively to the poor man, each trying not to think about how he'd come by those markings. "Well that's one way to keep your man in line." Mina muttered, pausing briefly over the still form. "I always preferred a more hands on approach myself."

"Hands on approach?" Kouga repeated, giving his eventual mate a weary look.

"I'll show you when you're older."

"Right." God but his future was looking grimmer by the minute.

Amused by her parents Hermione elbowed Aiden teasingly in the side, hoping for a laugh. "The way things are going I'll be lucky to be born huh?"

Looking over at her Aiden tried to imagine a world without Hermione and couldn't quite wrap his mind around the concept. They lived in the same house, had the same friends and relatives, had been together for most of their lives, even when they were in the womb. How could there be a world without Hermione in it? But that wasn't what she was aiming to hear. She was trying to get a laugh out of him because they weren't on the easy terms they usually were. That was his fault, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to help her change that. "Quieter." Was what he said instead.

Her lower lip poking out in a pout Hermione didn't know whether she wanted to cry or kick his ass. She didn't even know what she'd done to make him mad at her for Christ sakes! How was she supposed to make up with him if he didn't tell her what she'd supposedly done that was so horrible? No one else would tell her either and she was sure Mika and Dare knew. They were legally family, they should be on her side, not his!

Always weak under the power of her pout Aiden opened his mouth to take back what he'd said when Triton's words cut him off.

"She's here."

* * *

The sound of a husky, definitely feminine laughter filled the air and relying on their delicate sense of hearing all those with demon blood turned to face one direction, their eyes narrowing, their stance combative. In response there was more laughing as well as clapping, a pinkish purple ball appearing before them which gradually faded away to reveal the demoness inside, walking towards them with an amused look on her face.

To be honest, Kouga had expected someone a lot more beautiful and..well..taller. The demon that was approaching them was only a little taller than Sesshoumaru's waist and while she was beautiful he'd seen better, several females in his group coming to mind. She was demurely dressed too, wearing all white which contrasted nicely with the thick black braid that ran down that demoness's back. She didn't look like a female on the prowl to him. She just looked like a well dressed lady demoness of high birth. Or at least that's what he thought until her scent hit his nose. Oh. Now he got it.

Ren didn't recognize the scent but it drew him like a moth to a flame, the only thing keeping him in his place was Hermione's sharp nails digging into his arm as she kept him at her side. Kouga was given similar treatment only Mina had taken a firm grip on his tail instead.

Sesshoumaru, Kohaku and Dare, used to the smell simply did their best to ignore it. Sesshoumaru had never been able to find out where Satsuki got this particular perfume from but she used it liberally, especially when there was male company coming. He'd heard it described many ways, he thought perhaps it had some enchantment to it that made her smell what was most appealing to you personally. The fact that her scent to him had changed to being eerily similar to Sango's was almost as annoying and unsettling as her appearing in front of them so confidently.

* * *

Seeing where the woman was headed Rin put herself between her master and the demoness, putting her arms up at her sides. "He's taken." She said in a loud, determined voice. "You can't have him."

Looking down at his ward Sesshoumaru didn't quite know what to make of that statement, other than it amused him more than it should have. But was she stating that he was hers or was she doing it for Sango? Had the slayer put Rin up to this? Stealing a side glance in Sango's direction he saw that she was pointedly looking everywhere but at him. Suspicious behavior as far as he was concerned. He'd have to ask her later.

"You're his human brat than." Was all she said, looking down at Rin like someone would an insect easily squashed. Apparently she wasn't any more fond of the average human than Sesshoumaru was. Her gaze sliding over to Kohaku and Dare she smiled slowly, the look on her face pure predator. "Sesshoumaru san, you've made two more of you. Not to mention that girl could almost pass for your mother." She added, nodding in Sora's direction.

"Sora looks nothing like my mother." Sesshoumaru countered, his eyes cold and hard as he waited to see what she would do. Strictly speaking, Sora was nearly identical to him which meant she did have his mother's coloring and face. She did not resemble his mother though because his daughter's face had not been consumed by the effects of years of constant rage and hatred. There was no cruelty or malice in his daughter's gaze.

"And just who is this Sora to you? Or these two men as well?" Satsuki asked sweetly, giving him a coy look from under her lashes. There were so many questions to ask and so little time, she mussed, watching her man for any change in expression. And he was hers, no matter what he said. She always got what she wanted. Could these three mirror images of him be his though? Impossible, she would have heard if he had had pups this old. She wasn't even sure what they were though. They were demons and yet...their scent was strange, foreign somehow. And why was that miserable half breed here as well?

"They're my siblings. You didn't really think my father would be satisfied with one woman at a time now did you?" Was Sesshoumaru's almost sarcastic reply. He'd already explained to his children why he was doing this and they'd agreed that it was the only way to handle this. If the bitch knew they were his children she'd not only be a threat to them but to their mother as well. He got the distinct feeling there was nothing his children wouldn't do for their mother.

* * *

Surprised Sango saw no change in expression to indicate any of her children were upset by this announcement, much less surprised. He must have discussed it with them earlier, she thought, annoyed that he hadn't thought to do the same for her.

Luckily, Sora had had the foresight to talk to her uncle before hand so Inu yasha kept his mouth shut, even though it burned his ass not to speak up in their father's defense. Sora was right, they couldn't afford to have this Satsuki make it her goal in life to kill Sango. Judging from the way the demoness was looking at his brother, Inu yasha had no problems believing that that was exactly what she'd do.

"Really?" Inwardly cursing Sesshoumaru's father to high hell Satsuki wished the son of a bitch had learned to keep his interested reserved to one woman at a friggin time! She was sure that the only reason Sesshoumaru refused to become hers was that his father had soured him on taking a mate for life. Then again, this did mean there were now three men in this world who might just be worthy of her, she thought, her interest piqued. The other two were watching her wearily but if they were worth her time, they could be convinced to change their tune. No man could resist her after all. Except for Sesshoumaru. "Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you, two." She purred, having no use for any of the other men in the group but these three and the strange, sea smelling demon standing off to the side. She had no use for wolf demons and none of the others were true demons, therefore beneath her notice. "You two have a most interesting scent. What sort of demon was your mother?" She asked, returning her attention to Kohaku and Dare solely, Sonya moving to stand in front of them protectively.

"I plead the fifth." Was Dare's response to that one.

"Idiot. She won't have any idea what that means." Sora hissed, fighting back the urge to embarrass herself by rolling her eyes at him.

"We prefer to keep that to ourselves." Kohaku answered, his voice cool and so much like his father's it was eerie. It annoyed him more than words could say that her scent was his mate's, offending his senses like nails being raked across a blackboard. The sooner he was away from her the better everything would be. "We've come to speak with your father."

* * *

"Have you now? And why would that be?" She already knew Sesshoumaru was looking for some creature named Ferio, but the why was a mystery to her at the moment. What could be so important about this demon that Sesshoumaru would tolerate the company of so many humans and half breeds? Yes, she was very interested to learn that.

"That's his business, not yours." Sesshoumaru responded, not about to give her anything she didn't already have. "Now we need to get going if we're going to reach him before he retires for the evening."

"Well then, I'm sorry to tell you that you're out of luck." She informed him, her voice full of fake sympathy and regret. "Father's getting on in years and he has taken to retiring very early, I'm afraid. By the time we reach our home he'll have already taken his sleeping potion and gone abed." She'd seen to that before she'd left. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait until morning to see him. You will give me the pleasure of your company though, won't you? We have plenty of room and it has been so long since you've graced our home with your presence, Sesshoumaru san."

"All of us?" Sesshoumaru asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"But of course." She responded, her smile belaying none of her distaste at the idea of letting those other people into her home. Sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. And Sesshoumaru was oh so good, she thought with a smile, practically licking her lips at the thought of just how good he really was. He'd managed to escape her grasp in the past but tonight, she was feeling lucky.


	40. If You Loved Me

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them all in, poor bastards. Anyways that's the way it's going to be unless you buy me the copyrights for Inu Yasha...which you could..muhahahaha. Well thanks for reading regardless and please, please review!

If You Loved Me

As soon as they arrived at the huge demon lord's estate the women were separated from the men, ushered off in different directions by servants who cheerfully told them that they were going to freshen up before a late meal that had been prepared for their arrival. Neither gender had been pleased at the idea of being split up but they couldn't exactly argue with their hostess, especially since they'd come to ask their host a favor. Luckily the men knew that the women were more than capable of looking after themselves and so they allowed themselves to be herded off, all relieved when Satsuki went with neither group, claiming she was going to check on the food preparation for her human and half demon guests.

* * *

Arriving in a large room the women and little girl's eyes went wide at the sight of eight beautiful kimonos laid out on a table for them with accessories included, their names written on pieces of paper that lay on top of the stunning finery.

"What's going on?" Kagome wondered outloud, brushing her fingers over the silky material. "And for that matter, how could anyone here possibly know our names?"

"Our Master foresaw your arrival and wished to thank you for your visit. Please accept these gifts as his apology for being unable to greet you until tomorrow." The servant in charge informed them, biting back her amusement at the sight of eight jaws dropping open in shock. To see a female demoness who looked like Lord Sesshoumaru in such a state was quite priceless indeed.

"It's so pretty." Rin gushed, holding up her kimono which was a midnight blue with beautifully stitched white butterflies all over it. "Is it really mine, Sango?" She asked, her eyes brimming over with hope as she looked up at the slayer who she was beginning to see as more of a mother figure. She was going to marry her Lord Sesshoumaru after all.

"I guess so." Was her weak reply, not sure what to say. The jewelry looked like real gold with gemstones in it, the kimonos of the highest quality she'd ever seen. Why would the lord of this place bestow these kinds of gifts on them? Especially when some of them were completely human without a drop of demon blood in them.

Checking out her own gifts Mina was pleased as well as calculating as she mentally figured out just how much money this demon guy was spending on them. A pretty penny without question, that was for sure. "The man has taste." She noted approvingly.

"Do any of you require help getting ready?" The servant asked, looking at them questioningly. "There are basins of warm water over there to freshen up with and the meal is scheduled for a half an hour from now. Will that time suffice?"

"Yes, thank you." Sora answered regally, used to Lord Ayame's habit of spoiling everyone in his household rotten. The servants practically lived like guests here and she knew that that was probably the only reason they put up with Lady Satsuki. They stayed for his sake and she didn't blame them, he really was a wonderful man. Once the servants left Sora assured everyone that this was just how Lord Ayame was and soon the women were hurrying to get ready, the girls ganging up on Sango since they all wanted her to put Satsuki to shame in front of Sesshoumaru. Ignoring her protests they descended upon her like ravenous wolves and employed every female trick in the book to make her picture perfect for the dinner ahead.

* * *

Sitting around, waiting for the women, the men were uneasy, watching their hostess through weary eyes as she flirted with an unresponsive Sesshoumaru between pumping them for information about who they were and what exactly they were doing in these parts. Not surprising she ignored Kyou, Miroku and Aiden, their blood making them beneath her notice, not that they were complaining. Sonya, the only other female there, had decided to plop herself down on the floor, deliberately choosing a spot that put her between Satsuki and Sesshoumaru. Also, Dare and Kohaku had already interfered with her attempt to sit near him, having sat down on either side of their father as soon as they'd arrived. They were all dressed in fine robes that were the most ornate and expensive clothing they'd ever worn, an uncomfortable change in particular for Ren and Kouga who weren't used to silk period. Though Lord Sesshoumaru's wealth and power far exceeded Lord Ayame's he'd never seen the point in wasting money on clothing and had always dressed simply, his children doing the same. This sort of thing was for special occasions and the way Satsuki had seemed to be mentally undressing all of them when they walked in had freaked the hell out of all of them collectively.

"I wonder what's taking the women so long. Do you think they're okay?" Kyou whispered to Aiden, looking towards the main entrance where they'd come in worriedly. He was pretty sure that if Satsuki had tried to do them any harm there would have been at least a couple explosions thanks to his sister but still...

"They're probably just primping. I always have to wait for my sisters." Was his whispered reply.

"Yeah but your sisters are girlie girls. They like to primp. Mika's idea of primping is brushing her hair!"

"She isn't that bad, Kyou. Besides, she doesn't need to primp to be beautiful." Aiden defended loyally, glad Mika wasn't around to hear Kyou make a comment like that. He'd had enough bloodshed for the time being if it was all the same to the fates.

"They're on their way." Triton informed the two, having joined them in taking seats as far away from their hostess as possible. Like them, he'd breath a little easier once the women, especially Rin, was in the room with them where they could see and protect them if necessary. He trusted their host about as much as a smart woman trusted the vows of a lecher.

Moments later his words proved true and the men got to their feet, more than a few jaws dropping at the visions walking towards them. They smelled sorta like their women and they mostly looked like them too but still...wow.

* * *

"Why are they looking at us like that?" Mika demanded to know, fighting back the urge to go over and whack a slack jawed Ren upside the head since he was the only one she didn't like in the room other than Satsuki. "We only changed clothes for petes sake."

"Well that and your hair's been properly brushed, braided and styled. Not to mention you're wearing jewelry and a kimono." Her cousin pointed out dryly.

"Oh shut up, Sora. We can't all be girlie girls like you."

"Basic care of appearance doesn't make me a girlie girl. It makes me normal."

"Hush you two." Was Kagome's hissed warning before the two nervous girls could start taking out their nerves on each other. There was just something in the air that warned of danger and the way they were being looked at was damn unnerving. Were the clothes magical or something? It wasn't like the men in this room hadn't been traveling around with them for a while now. They were family for Christ sakes. Taking a deep breath she walked into the room, the others following after her with the best saved for last. Tugging Sango along after her, Rin grinned widely while the slayer's cheeks went pink as she let Rin drag her along after her.

Dressed in a black kimono with delicately rendered pink sakura blossoms around the bottom half Sango looked stunning, the gold trim around the edges going beautifully with the thin gold hoops in her ears, her hair pulled up in a delicate bun instead of her usual ponytail. Kagome had pulled out her handy emergency make up supply and thanks to the miracles of Cover Girl Sango's lashes were longer, darker and framing eyes that had been turned exotic thanks to expertly applied golden eye shadow. Feeling rather like a bride being presented to her groom Sango looked at Sesshoumaru nervously from under her lashes, wishing his face would give something away. Did he think she looked pretty? Given what she'd been put through the last half an hour, he damn well better.

Not at all pleased Satsuki's piercing gaze took in the fact that of all the women the one in the black kimono was the best dressed and most made up of the group. In fact, it was quite obvious that efforts had been made to make her stand out in the group for some reason. All the women in the group were at least mildly attractive but even the two most stunning beauties of the group, the redhead and Sesshoumaru's so called sister, seemed understated in comparison. And just why was that, she wondered, watching the woman in black carefully. Catching the human bitch stealing glances in Sesshoumaru's direction Satsuki's eyes narrowed, her instincts on full alert. This woman, this human piece of filth was attempting to gain Sesshoumaru's attention through flaunting her less then stellar looks. Eyes automatically zooming in on Sesshoumaru's face she could see no reaction which essentially meant nothing. He would show only what he wanted her to see. Damn him.

Well aware of Satsuki's eyes drilling into his head Sesshoumaru ignored her as the women took their seats. Making sure his glance stayed no longer on Sango than it did any of the other women in the group he confirmed that they all seemed to be fine and well.

Even understanding why he was behaving that way none of the women, Rin in particular, was pleased by Sesshoumaru's reaction and let him know it in various ways throughout the meal. Needless to say it was a very strained gathering, especially since the rest of the men had the sense to tell the women they all looked beautiful and found things to compliment for each. Well other than Ren and Kohaku who just weren't the sort of guys who wasted time doing that sort of thing. Kohaku wasn't even in the habit of complimenting his wife unless he was in trouble and knew he needed to suck up big time. Even Shippou had nice things to say which only made things that much worse for Sesshoumaru who wasn't at all used to so much silent female hostility aimed in his direction. Not understanding what was going on under the surface their hostess was just as displeased, especially once she realized that they weren't going to tell her anything about themselves or what they were doing, willing to speak only to her father. The meal cut abruptly short they were soon sent back to their new sleeping quarters with Satsuki practically having steam coming out of her ears when she learned that her father had overridden her orders concerning sleeping arrangements so that not only were the men and women in the same wing of the estate but the men had been doubled up concerning sleeping quarters which meant there would be no visiting Sesshoumaru's tonight. Unless she could get one of the servant girls to seduce that Kohaku, she'd have to see about that. Plotting that she barely made her good byes and good nights before she was heading off, a woman on a mission.

* * *

Everyone exhausted and frankly wanting to get away before a fight broke out between the women and Sesshoumaru everyone trooped off to their respective rooms, glad to be away from their hostess with nothing to worry about but getting a good night's sleep. Dare considered camping in with his father and brother to help protect dad from Satsuki but one look at his father's face had Dare gamely returning to the room he'd been assigned to with Kyou.

In the room he was sharing with his father Aiden had a bad feeling as he watched his father pacing around the room. He knew that stubborn, weird gleam in those eyes well and knew that no good could possibly come out of it. "Dad." Aiden said slowly, getting to his feet. "What are you planning to do? If it involves Satsuki I have to tell you, I'm not above calling someone in here to knock you out."

"You go on to bed..there's something I have to do first."

"I'll wait up..and if you aren't back in twenty minutes I'm sending Dare after you." Aiden warned, knowing that he probably shouldn't be letting his father go off, especially when he had a really good idea just where his father intended to go. He'd noticed how his father had been looking at Aunt Sango all evening and he didn't think Uncle Sesshoumaru had missed it either. One could only hope Kohaku kept his father in line..because he was lousy at keeping his own as he watched his father slide out the door without even commenting on his own warning. Oh boy.

* * *

Silently making his way down the hallway Miroku stopped in front of the proper door and knocked, the door sliding open to reveal Rin, still dressed up and looking surprised to see him, Sango behind her having moved to open the door herself. "Sango, can I talk to you for a minute?" Miroku asked softly, not looking at Rin. Looking at her meant reminding himself who Rin belonged to and that was the last thing he wanted to think about and the only thing he could.

Surprised Sango gave him a questioning look, his eyes revealing nothing. "Okay." Turning her head she looked down at Rin who was watching them with interest. "You get ready for bed, sweetie and I'll be back in a moment to tuck you in."

Beaming at the idea of being tucked in Rin hurried back into the room to get changed while Sango stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her to give them some privacy. "What is it, Miroku? Is something wrong?"

"You look really beautiful tonight." He told her, rather than answering her question. Her hair was loose now around her shoulders and he preferred it that way, wild and free. Just like her. His beautiful Sango.

"Please don't tell me you drag me out here to hit on me." Was her amused response, shaking her head with a smile on her face at his oh so typical behavior. "We both need our sleep you know."

"I came out here to ask you...why did you look at HIM when you came into the room? Why did you spend that whole meal looking at HIM and picking at your food!" This wasn't what he'd intended to say but it came gushing out anyway, having been stored up and churning in his gut since he learned the fate that was in store for them. That he and Sango would never be and that he'd lose her to Sesshoumaru of all people. "He's a demon, Sango and you're a demon slayer! He's a cold blooded murderer who'd sooner look at a human than be nice to one. How could you pick him over me? You told me when you refused to marry me that I couldn't give you what you wanted but how can he? What can he possibly have that I don't? He's evil, Sango, no matter how he looks or what those children of his say. They're his children after all, it's not like they're going to bad mouth him, especially in front of you, the person they need to be bor-!"

* * *

"Stop, Miroku." Raising a hand Sango placed a finger against his lips, cutting him off as effectively as if she'd slapped him. "The answer is I don't know. I don't know why I fell in love with him and I don't know what he did that convinced me that he was the sort of man that I'd want to spend the rest of my life with. I do know though, what he could give me that you couldn't. My self esteem and assurance that I was the one and only. I loved you and I was going to marry you and all I asked was that you quit your cheating on me. Maybe you don't consider flirting and groping women as cheating but I do and it hurt me more than I can say to watch you do it right in front of me. I know you know how I felt about it but you did it anyway. They were more important to you than me. If I married him, I have to be that important to him. And Miroku...he may not be my husband yet...but he will be. Don't ever talk about him like that again in my presence or I'll do what any wife would do to a man who would speak so disrespectfully of a loved one. Do you understand?" She asked firmly, removing her finger as she took a step back, her face set and final. There was nothing more to be said.

Nodding his head slowly he simply looked at her for a moment before turning and silently walking away, Sango watching him go until he turned the corner. Turning back towards the door she'd just lifted her hand to open it when her instincts kicked in, causing her to turn her head to see none other than the demon under discussion casually leaning against the wall a few doors away. Not that that matter with his hearing. She didn't know how long he'd been there but that didn't really matter. If he'd chosen to listen he would have heard every word she'd said. "Did you come to say good night to Rin?" She asked softly, turning her face back towards the door so that she wouldn't have to look at him. Now that Miroku was out of sight her insides were churning up, pain at causing him pain and the soreness of wounds reopened raging through her system. Miroku had been her first real love and nothing could change that. What had just happened had hurt her as much as him and she just wanted to be alone now.

"Come here, Sango."

Eyes widening both at his command and his use of her first name Sango slowly turned her head to look at him. "And if I refused?"

"Then I will simply come over there. The difference is if you come here Rin won't overhear. The choice is yours."

"Not much choice than, is it?" Was her simple reply as she walked over to him, stopping in front of him when there was a couple feet between them, Sesshoumaru straightening up to his full height. "What is it you want?"

"You loved him?"

Surprised and yet not Sango tilted her head back to meet his golden eyes. "What does that matter?"

"It matters."


	41. Little Peeping Rin

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else and that's just the way it's gonna have to stay. Thanks very much for reading and please review because I'd love to hear from you! Thanks again and have an awesome day.

Little Peeping Rin

"I will never be unfaithful to you." After moments of silence Sango stated what she thought he needed to hear. From the sounds of it Miroku was going to remain near her for the rest of her life and she could only assume that fact hadn't gone unnoticed by the demon lord either.

"Your fidelity was never in question. I would have killed you otherwise."

Eyes going wide Sango didn't question that statement, knowing in her bones that he was perfectly serious. He really would kill her. She'd imagine most people would be running away right about now but she found it comforting in a strange way. Besides, wouldn't she do the exact same to her own husband if the roles were reversed? Hell yes. Not that she needed to worry about Sesshoumaru there. There were hundreds of things a person could find wrong about the demon but there was no question that he considered marriage sacred, or whatever the taking of a mate was called. "You know..the more I'm around you the more it becomes clear why I chose you."

Now it was his turn to be surprised as her quiet statement had him raising a questioning eyebrow as he looked down on her. "Oh?"

"Yeah." Taking the two steps necessary Sango stepped forward and wrapping her arms around his startled waist, laying her cheek against his chest as she closed her eyes, breathing in his familiar scent as she pressed her body against his. This was what she needed, Sango thought silently, her form relaxing as it absorb Sesshoumaru's body warmth and presence. She'd needed him.

Unused to being hugged, especially since Rin was still too short to do it properly, Sesshoumaru didn't quite know what to do as he stared down at her. Everyone seemed to want to heap affection on him lately and it was really starting to bother him, especially since they all seemed to have the ridiculous idea that he needed them to do it. But she wasn't hugging him now for his sake but for her own. She needed comfort now. Hesitantly his arms slowly moved from his side to lay awkwardly at her waist, not really holding her but there none the less. It was the best he could do.

* * *

After a few minutes had passed Sesshoumaru relaxed against her as well, no longer feeling awkward about the whole thing though it certainly wasn't going to become a habit. It was..distracting to hold her like this and comforting her was leading his mind down avenues it was best he stayed off of. Especially when Satsuki could be lurking nearby without his knowledge, Sesshoumaru thought wearily, trying to pay attention to every sound and scent that reached him. Not that his self control would slip that much because of Sango but still, the only time he had women in his arms it was for one purpose and one purpose only. Wrapping his mind around the idea of doing it for platonic reasons was taking more work then he could have anticipated. "You didn't answer my question, slayer." He finally said, hoping that she would let him go as he let her go, his arms returning to his sides.

Missing his arms around her Sango was only surprised he'd lasted that long. He just wasn't the physically affectionate sort. Rin was probably the only person besides her that Sesshoumaru had ever let hug him. "What question?" She asked, keeping her head right where it was and her arms still around his waist. She knew perfectly well what he was referring to and was simply stalling for a few more moments of closeness before he moved away from her grasp.

"Coyness doesn't suit you."

"Says who?" Sango wanted to know, moving her head as she tipped it back to meet his golden ones, her lips moving in a rather adorable pout. After all, coyness was supposed to be a female trait and even though she'd never really had to use it she preferred to believe she could if needed.

Lifting out a hand Sesshoumaru's thumb brushed against the pouting bottom lip, the caress slow and as light as a summer breeze. "Says me." She had a very appealingly shaped mouth, almost as appealing as the taste of that mouth under his own. He hadn't kissed her since that night they'd gone star gazing, suddenly that seemed like an incredibly long time to wait for another taste.

"And you know everything of course." Was her somewhat breathless reply, her breathing shallow and somewhat choppy as she made herself not look away.

Too busy concentrating on the fact that her erratic breathing was causing her breasts to heave against his own chest Sesshoumaru nodded rather than actually saying anything. He didn't have to.

Well aware of where his eyes had gone Sango wondered if he realized that his free hand, the one not cupping her cheek, was currently resting on Miroku's favorite spot to grope the female body. Her butt. His hand simply rested there, holding her closer to him as his warming gaze moved from their joined chests to her eyes once more, the feel of them, rather than the look, causing her to swallow hard. "Then if you know everything...what am I thinking about right now?"

"This." His hand sliding from her cheek to the back of her head he was changing the angle even as his own head lowered, their lips brushing one, twice, three times before their lips met and held, her grip around his waist tightening as she stood up on her tip toes to fit their bodies together so that they were hip to hip, his hand on her rear supporting her against him while his other hand slide into her hair as their lips devoured each others. Standing in the hallway's darkening shadows the only sounds were the rustling of clothing as it brushed against cloth and skin, heavy breathing and the occasional gasp of pleasure. Then a giggle.

* * *

His sense of hearing acute the faint sound registered in Sesshomaru's ears as being out of place. Even though a giggle was the last sound Satsuki or any form of real danger would make he forced himself to raise his head, panting slightly as his eyes turned towards the source of the sound. The quick sliding of a door closed and the sound of small, bare feet on hardwood floors made it abruptly clear just who had made the sound. "Rin."

Slumped against him, his arms having automatically moved around her waist to support her Sango felt decidedly drunk and light headed as she turned her head in the direction he'd been looking. "Rin?" She repeated, her tone questioning as she tried to focus on something other than the muscles that had bunched under her fingers when he'd pulled his head away from hers. His kissing abilities came second only to the delicious feel of all those rippling biceps under her searching hands, Sango thought dreamily, her mind losing focus again. Who could blame her?

"Rin was watching."

It took a moment for that to process but when it did Sango's already flushed face went scarlet with embarrassment, her face turning so that she could bury her face against his chest. "Oh MY GOD!" She groaned, using one of Kagome's sayings for moments when the situation was just too embarrassing to put into words.

More than a little put out as well Sesshoumaru was very, very glad that she hadn't dulled his senses to the point where that giggle would have passed by his ears unnoticed. Who knew what Rin would have seen if he hadn't. Looking down at the slayer who'd buried her face in his robes he had to grin somewhat, thinking it rather amusing given the inhibition she'd shown moments before. Yes, his woman was going to be quite the little distraction once he finally had her right where he wanted her. And he had just thought of her as his woman. Torn between the fact that he had and knowing how much he was looking forward to making her his in the most basic of ways Sesshoumaru was suddenly feeling as shook up and embarrassed as Sango.

* * *

Watching from the shadows Satsuki's hands fisted and unfisted as she watched the pair. She'd been there since that lecherous monk had left and now that she'd confirmed her earlier suspicions she was just waiting for Sesshoumaru to leave so that she could have a little chat with the one they called Sango. So this was why she'd never been able to hold his attentions, Satsuki seethed, her eyes practically glowing with hatred as she watched the two speak to each other in low voices, her hearing not up to catching any of it from where she stood at the end of the hallway. Her blood pressure rising to new and fascinating heights when she watched HER man lean over and kiss the forehead of the human female Satsuki literally felt something snap inside her as she started forward with some insane idea of tearing the two apart. She was stopped though, as two hands came out of nowhere to cup either side of her face.

"You will not interrupt." The calm, soothing voice told her, his voice seeming to hold her in her place rather than the hands that lay so gently against her temples. "You will forget everything you saw here and return to your room to get a good night's sleep so you'll look your best tomorrow. You don't want any of those other women to outshine you, now do you?"

Shaking her head Satsuki's eyes were suspiciously blank as the hands slid away. Without a sound the demoness walked around the now silent figure and headed back to her rooms to get some sleep so that she would look her very best for Sesshoumaru tomorrow. Not that she needed to worry, there was no one in that group he could possibly be interested in after all.

"Land demons have such weak minds." Watching her go Triton was amused to see that even in her trance like state she was still sauntering as she moved, as if showing off her body for the shadows and walls around her. "Such a silly woman."

"What did you do?" Sesshoumaru asked as he came up to stand beside Triton after seeing Sango to her door. He'd smelled the water demon's scent and had arrived soon enough to see Satsuki leaving without protest.

"Made her forget everything she saw. I thought it best seeing as we require her father's help tomorrow."

"You can do that?"

"I can. Good night." Nodding his head Triton walked off without another word, leaving Sesshoumaru behind to wonder just what he'd gotten himself into getting involved with not only Sango but a water demon who could apparently manipulate the minds of others. His life had been so nice and ordinary before, he thought with a faint sigh, turning to head back to his own rooms. Those days were long over it seemed.

* * *

Not used to staying inside buildings and finding the place oppressive Ren had left the room he was supposed to be sharing with the annoying Kyou and had opted instead to head outside and take advantage of one of the trees in the courtyard. The sounds of the night were all around him and they soothed him, reminding him of home as he leaned back against the tree's trunk. So far it had been the trip from hell and he wished for the millionth time that he'd stayed home instead. They needed him there after all and his father had practically been on the verge of disowning him for wanting to come here in the first place. The only reason he'd been allowed to come was because his father had liked the idea of his son being the one to kill Ferio right under the noses of Sesshoumaru and Inu yasha's brats. Of course being around them was one of the reasons why this whole thing was quickly becoming his own personal nightmare. He didn't even know why he hated them so much. He'd tried to figure it out over the years but he'd never been quite able to put his finger on the reason why the very sight of them put his back out. It took a lot to hate someone like Hotaru after all, he thought with a faint smirk, bringing an image of the little goody goody to mind. She was the sort of idiot that would have ended up dead by now if it weren't for the rest of her family. She was just too nice and naive. Yet, he disliked her, got uncomfortable just by being near her and she'd never been anything short of nice to him. She was nothing like Mika and they didn't even look alike so it could be that either. So why, what was it about those two families that pissed him off so much?

"My dad likes to sleep in trees too."

* * *

Looking down Ren snarled when he saw the familiar form of his annoying roommate at the bottom of the tree looking up at him. "What the hell do you want?"

"I promised Aunt Mina that I'd keep an eye on you and make sure nothing happened to you. Anything you could throw out at me is nothing compared to what she'd do to me so don't even bother with the threatening of physical harm if I don't leave you alone."

"Or I could just kill you and burn your body so that there would be nothing for Sesshoumaru to revive."

"Okay...I'm big enough to admit you could kick my very nice ass but I would at least last long enough to alert others to my present predicament before you killed me off. Then you'd be the one dead since being in a sulky mood isn't an excuse for trying to off me."

"I'm not sulking."

"You are too sulking." Kyou argued, speaking before he thought through what he was saying like always. "But then again, I'd be sulking too I suppose."

"Care to elaborate on that?" Eyes narrowing Ren watched the quarter demon carefully, knowing that the younger demon really was stupid enough to try and take him on or more likely, say something so stupid and insulting death was the only possible outcome.

"Well you're here by yourself and Hermione and Mina are the only ones that would really put themselves out for you in any way. Well Mika might too but that would really only be because she has this whole thing about being the only one allowed to kill you complex. What I mean is, you're surrounded by people you really don't like and who don't like you. That's got to suck. I know that it would drive me nuts."

"Are you trying to get me to kill you?"

"NO!" Shaking his head rapidly Kyou wasn't so stupid that he couldn't see how his words could be taking the wrong way which they obviously had been. "What I meant to say was that I understand why you are the way you are and that I'm sorry we're all making things that much worse for you. We can't help it because we've got a lifetime of animosity between out families and neither of us can really give an inch because you won't change your mind on the importance of bloodlines and we won't change our minds in thinking that your father is a spawn of Satan and better off dead than alive. And that last part probably just made things worse..didn't it?"

"What did you mean..when you said you understood why I am the way I am?" Curious Ren opted to let the rest go for the time being since he could always kill the annoying pest after his curiosity had been appeased. If nothing else, Inu yasha's youngest did tend to be amusing in his stupidity.

"Well...uhm...what the hell, you're probably going to try and kill me no matter what I say anyway." With a sigh Kyou figured he might as well play Doctor Phil for a moment than hope to hell someone heard the battle going on and came out and saved his ass. Running like a coward was out of the question but it would be damn tempting, he thought with another sigh. "What I meant was that you can be a really nice guy apparently but you're only nice to people you're supposed to be nice to. You're trying to be your father and not yourself which is why you're angry all the time and constantly made to feel like a failure. You aren't Manta and deep inside you know you don't want to be but you tell yourself it is because your father's love and approval means more to you than your own wants and needs. It's a lot like how Uncle Sesshoumaru used to be before Rin and Aunt Sango got ahold of him only in his case he was trying to resolve his father issues while you just ignore them. Than again, he had a couple centuries on you too."

* * *

Blinking down at Kyou Ren didn't know quite what to say. He'd just been compared to the Lord of the West, something that could be consider the highest compliment or the lowest insult depending on who you were talking to. He did want to be like his father..and yet how often did he disagree with his father's ideas and actions? And what the hell was he doing, listening to Inu yasha's idiot son. As if anything remotely intelligent had ever come out of that moron's big mouth.

"You're shaking you head so I guess you think everything I just said was bull." Kyou guessed, not really surprised that his psycho analysis had gone over the wolf demon's head. After all, wolf demons were notoriously dumb, especially the ones related to Manta. "Ah well, I tried. I just figured I'd help you out by explaining why you dislike us so much, mixed blood or not."

"You didn't just explain that, you moron!"

"Sure I did. The reason you hate us is because our parents love us just the way we are. You can see we aren't perfect, that we don't fit into the ideals most demons hold for their children like being war minded and all powerful. We don't have to earn our parents love and approval, we have it regardless of our strengths or weaknesses. You hate that because you don't have parents like that. You have all these strengths and good points but they don't matter because your best is never good enough. You're made to feel like you aren't good enough even though you are. And here we are, people you view as weaker and less than you getting exactly what you want for nothing. You want the sort of love and approval we have but you can't because it just isn't in Manta to give it. That's why you hate us so much and that's why you shouldn't want to be like your father. After all...do you really want your pups to be in your place years from now? Full of hate and self loathing because they can't meet the high standards you set and yourself failed to live up to. It's a brutal cycle, but it can be broken you know. Just ask my Uncle."

When no words or vicious attacks came from the top of the tree Kyou figured he'd said enough and had better beat a hasty retreat before Ren decided to shut him up permanently. He'd given wolf boy plenty to think about after all and given how much difficulty wolves had with thinking he doubted Ren would be getting into any trouble any time soon. "And Mika said watching Doctor Phil was going to rot my brain." He whispered in amusement, wondering what his older sister would say when she found out he'd gone out of his way to play shrink for her idiot wolf. She'd probably agree that it was wasted on the idiot but oh well, at least now he didn't owe the wolf for helping save Mika's life when she'd been poisoned. That was something at least.

* * *

Note: For all those who've been requesting some steamy moments between Sess/Sango, here's your chance. In the next chap Sess is going to be put under a spell which will put him in a dream like state where he will see the answer to the thing most prevalent on his mind. Send in votes as to what you'd like that to be whether it's a romantic moment like Sess's proposal or steamy like just how good he and Sango really are together. Note that due to the Teen rating there will be no lemon, only lime. You could also vote for glimpses into his childhood, the childhood of his kids, etc. Whatever you'd most like to see, vote it in! 


	42. She's On His Mind

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else and that's just the way it's going to stay. Thanks to all my loyal readers out there and hope you enjoy this newest chapter.

She's On His Mind

The next morning more than a few members of their ragtag group looked sleep deprived, standing in wait to talk to the so called seer Lord Ayame. The demons, blessed with the ability to go without sleep, looked better than some of the humans, but you could see it in their eyes that they were restless too with a lot weighing on their minds. Of course Satsuki's presence didn't help much either as she tried to kiss up to Sesshoumaru who was pointedly ignoring her and everyone else in the room for the moment. His mind was a million miles away and he barely noticed when a servant did finally approach them.

"Master says that he will see Lord Sesshoumaru and The Demon Slayer only today." Her voice quaking slightly it was obvious from the way she looked at her mistress that the servant knew just how Lady Satsuki was going to take it. Very, very badly.

"What do you mean, just them?" Eyes flashing Satsuki took a threatening step towards the girl, the servant cringing back in a way that suggested she'd taken the brunt of her mistress's rage before and expected to again.

"I think she was quite clear." Giving her a cold look that froze Satsuki in her tracks Sesshoumaru glanced briefly in Sango's direction before turning his attention back to his former and brief fiancee. "Your father has given his wishes and this girl has relayed them clearly enough. I'm sure our companions can entertain themselves while the slayer and I speak to your father. Why don't you go find one of your men to torture instead, Satsuki?"

"I'm going with you." There was no way in hell she was going to let her father exclude her from this, especially if he was allowing that filthy human to go. She was his daughter after all and the idea of that slayer of all the human joining Sesshoumaru was too much for her to bear!

"No. You. Wont."

* * *

Those three words, paired with those gleaming demon eyes had Satsuki seeing red even though she knew if she didn't listen he'd make her, embarrassing her in front of her servants and the disgusting humans he'd brought with him. That could not be allowed to happen. "As you wish." She finally hissed out, turning on her heels and marching off, ordering the servant to come with her.

"Think maybe we should go after her, make sure she doesn't hurt that kid?" Dare whispered to Aiden, worried about the servant who'd been little more than a girl and who'd looked like she was being dragged down to the fiery pits of hell.

"We do that and we'd probably make it worse for her." Aiden wanted to go after the women too but he knew that there was little they could do in a situation like this.

"I'll speak to Lord Ayame about her." Sango assured them softly, placing a hand on both their shoulders. As much as she enjoyed the mental image of her son and Aiden tearing into Satsuki this was neither the time nor the place. Besides, if Satsuki kept hitting on Sesshoumaru she wanted to be the one to put that bitch down. "Now you boys stay out of trouble and try to keep the bloodshed to a minimum okay?"

"Yes ma'am." Was their sing song response, this not being the first time they'd promised that or something similar.

"I guess it's logical to assume that Lord Ayame knows about Sango and Sesshoumaru...since he asked just for them." Kagome suggested, glad that Satsuki was gone and out of sight. The urge to set her children on the witch got stronger every time the demoness looked at the lot of them like they were vermin she wanted to crush under her heels.

"Yes, it makes sense, since he can see into the future." Nodding Triton looked over at the door that separated them from their host. He could sense much power coming from that room and it was time they harnessed it to their advantage so that they could leave before war broke out "You two should head in now."

* * *

Leaving the others behind made Sango very nervous. Almost as nervous as walking into the room alone with Sesshoumaru to face the evil demoness's father. Her children had assured her that Satsuki's father was a pussycat compared to his daughter but maybe he was just nice to them because they were Sesshoumaru's children. Oh well, at least with the damn bracelets still on Sesshoumaru couldn't let anything happen to her. They only had a short hallway to pass through and then Sesshoumaru was pushing back a sliding door and walking through it, holding the door open for her before closing it behind them. The room was surprisingly sparse and empty, the small, elderly looking demon sitting in the middle of it looking about as harmful as a baby rabbit. He wore simple robes and was smoking a pipe, a smile on his face as he watched them approach. Following Sesshoumaru's lead Sango bowed when they were about a foot from him, before taking a seat on one of the two large pillows that had been set in front of the man.

"You are looking well, Sesshoumaru." The old man said with a nod in the direction of the demon lord before turning to look at Sango with open curiosity. "And this is your bride to be if I'm not mistaken. I was not sure I would live to meet you, young lady. I'm very pleased that the gods have given me this chance. I'm very fond of Sesshoumaru and always wondered about the human who would capture his heart."

"You foresaw this than?" Narrowing his eyes Sesshoumaru wondered just how long the old man had known he was to end up with a demon slayer for a mate.

"Oh my yes, centuries ago when you were just a little pup. I thought it wise to keep it to myself though, things being how they were. It was why I allowed your father to talk me into engaging my Satsuki to you. I knew that it would never be and that as long as I drew out the date of the engagement you'd live long enough to outlive your father's hold. A great demon he might have been but very blind about those closest to him." Puffing out some smoke rings the demon seemed to contemplate something before continuing. "I know you can't stay long, I'm sure Satsuki is driving you all crazy already. You've come about the darkness that has arrived from the future, the one who could bring great suffering to this world, which is still recovering from the false demon Naraku. I know where he is, and I know how you can find him, this Ferio."

"That information would be most helpful, Lord Ayame." Watching the older demon thoughtfully Sesshoumaru wondered just what the old codger was up to. It wasn't like the man to get straight to the point, especially when there was a stranger for him to badger with personal questions.

"Without question. My dear, would you do this old man a favor and pour the tea I had brought for us? I wasn't sure what you'd want in it so I told her just to leave it in the pot so that it would stay nice and hot for us."

"Of course."

* * *

Rising Sango retrieved the tray and brought it over, setting it down gently as she admired the beautiful crockery. "What would you both like in yours?" She asked, playing hostess since she couldn't see either of them doing it. They were the lords after all and she the commoner. Taking their requests Sango made Lord Ayame's light with plenty of milk while Sesshoumaru took his black, no surprise there. Adding plenty of milk to her own since it smelled strong Sango passed out the cups and than picked up her own, sipping delicately. Watching Sesshoumaru drain it all in one long gulp Sango set him a questioning look.

"He hates the stuff." Lord Ayame informed her with a twinkle in his eye, since Sesshoumaru wasn't the type to explain himself. "He only drinks it out of respect for me. He's been drinking his obligatory one glass like that for centuries now."

"Oh." Biting back a grin Sango continued to sip hers, understanding since it was far from the best tea she'd ever tasted. Still, it wasn't that bad.

To give the tea time to take effect Lord Ayame opted to do some distracting for the few minutes it would take. "I've already drawn up instructions on how to find him so if it's all right with you, Sesshoumaru, I'd like to take a few minutes to enjoy this tea and get to know your Sango here."

Looking none to pleased about having her referred to as his anything Sesshoumaru nodded his assent, if only to get out of having to make small talk which he despised almost as much as Inu yasha. Listening with half an ear his mind turned to other things, formulating plans and possible traps while they chatted about her family and the adventures she'd had with his idiot brother and their friends. Eventually tuning them out completely he wasn't aware of just what his father's old friend had done until it was too late. He'd only had this feeling creep up on him once before but this feeling in the pit of his stomach, combined with the sudden light headedness, was all he needed to know he'd been had. "God dammit! You spiked the tea!"

While Sango gapped in shock, setting her own tea down quickly Lord Ayame just nodded, not about to bother denying it. "I did indeed. I put the antidote in the milk since I knew you wouldn't touch that and that Miss Sango would."

"What did you do to him?" Getting to her feet with a fighter's gleam in her eye it didn't take a genius to figure out that Sango was more than prepared to do the old man bodily harm if whatever he'd put in the tea was harmful.

"Calm down, calm down." He assured her, while Sesshoumaru cradled his aching head in his hands, glaring at the other demon mutinously. "What I gave him isn't dangerous in the least, my dear. You see his mind is very clouded and full of questions right now. What I gave him will help him sort through those problems and help him ready for what is to come. He just had a bad experience the last time he went through this. He didn't appreciate seeing that his younger brother would someday cut off his arm."

"This will make him see into the future?" Looking back and forth between the two demons Sango didn't know what to do. Sesshoumaru wasn't tearing the older demon to shreds over this so she could only assume he wasn't in any real danger, just pissed off royally. Was there something she could do for him? He looked like he was in pain.

"He will see what his heart and mind deem he needs to see. He was shown the consequences of not making peace with his brother last time. What he will see this time is entirely up to him. He'll pass out in a few moments. It was nice meeting you, Sango, give him my regards when he wakes up again in an hour or so." Getting to his feet he gave her a charming little bow then left the room, whistling lightly under his breath as he left them alone, the faint thud of the door closing signaling his departure.

Not sure what the hell she was supposed to do now Sango crouched down beside Sesshoumaru, placing a hand on his shoulder. His eyes were starting to glaze over and she wasn't entirely sure he was even aware of her presence. "Sesshoumaru? Sesshoumaru, is there something I can do to help?"

"Not a thing." His teeth clenching he could feel his control slipping, unable to hold out against the effects of the drug. "Help me lie down." With her help he stretched out, his sense of balance so off that his head would have missed her pillow if she hadn't been there to move it at the last minute. Closing his eyes he cursed his own stupidity, he should have known something like this would happen. "You can leave me here. I'll be fine."

"And risk Satsuki taking advantage of you while you're unconscious? Hell no." A determined look on her face Sango sat down beside him, taking one of his hands in his for what little comfort it might give him. "I'll leave when you can leave with me. We're a team after all."

"A team?" He repeated, drifting off into unconsciousness as his eyes opened than closed for the last time. "Feh."

* * *

When his eyes opened once more he found himself walking through a forest at night, solitary as he preferred it. He was dressed for battle he noted, wondering what the significance of that was. As before he had no control over his body, the mind he shared it with was in control of that area. He could only see and experience what was happening in this time and place, an observer in his own body. The last time he'd known the taste of defeat and the agony of a limb lost, at his brother's hand of all people. A fitting punishment, he'd decided, for using Inu yasha's mother against the stupid pup. Even he'd recognized the cruelty of such a ploy, not that he probably wouldn't use it again in the same situation. Jarred from his thoughts as he came to a stop Sesshoumaru observed that he was now staring at an estate of some sort, the well lit room in front of him, doors wide open to give him a perfect view of the four people within. Stretched out on the floor were two young dog demons, their physical similarities to himself indicating that they were likely his sons. They were playing some sort of game involving white and black stones, the smaller of the two winning from the look on his face. Within reaching distance of the boys sat Sango, looking a little older than she'd look moments before, and dressed elegantly in a dark blue kimono, decorated with dark green ivy. She seemed to be mending what looked to be a torn shirt while another boy, who looked older than the other two, watched over them all with a serious look on his young face. Kohaku, he'd bet on it. That meant the other two were Kiyoshi and Ronin, all three still children who all kept looking towards the doors on the opposite end of the room.

* * *

Than he was turning away from the homey scene, walking a path that seemed to be familiar to him as he cut through the woods to end up in a small clearing adjacent to the other side of the estate where a large pond lay, fed from a waterfall that came trickling down from above. Sora had said something about him building their home in the middle of a mountainous area after all. Coming to the edge he quickly stripped out of his clothing, discovering them bloody and carrying the stench of battle fought within the past week. He didn't seem to have any injuries worth noting or treating, whoever he'd fought must not have been a worthy opponent. But why then, did he feel so worn and heavy? Perhaps he'd been gone for a long period of time. Walking into the water he washed himself clean, seeming to be in no hurry to leave the water or the silence of the spot. Strange, it was like he was avoiding going inside, but why? From what he'd been led to believe there was no reason he shouldn't want to go inside to see his family. Or perhaps he was right and the life they'd described to him was just too good to be true. Lies they'd fed him to convince him to allow them and their mother to live. Yes, that must be it.

He didn't hear her but smelled her coming, her steps as sure as his had been. Not bothering to turn around he ignored her, hoping that she'd realize that he didn't want company, especially hers. But as always, she refused to take the hint and came to a stop at the edge of the pond, saying his name softly. "I'll be in shortly." He informed her, glancing over his shoulder briefly before going back to his washing, though there was nothing left that needed to be removed.

"That's some welcome, considering you've been gone two weeks." Was her reply, her voice still soft and even. "Jakken told me it was bad. Will you tell me?"

"No."

There was no immediate response to his refusal, his sharp ears picking up on her even breathing and heartbeat, than the sound of rustling, as the unmistakable sound of her undressing reached his ears. His body reacting immediately to the knowledge he forced himself not to turn around, to watch that beautiful, golden body become slowly visible to his eyes. He heard the sound of the water splashing around her as she walked in to join him, coming from the small beach he'd had created for the boys. She headed straight towards him, with her usual single mindedness. He didn't jolt when her arms came around him from behind, her breasts pressed against his back as she fit her body to his. His lack of response didn't deter her though, as she placed a kiss against his spine. "Please tell me." She whispered, knowing that his ears didn't need her to be any louder, so in tune to her and her every breath.

"What part of no did you not understand, woman?" Was his chilly response, though he made no move to remove her arms from around his narrow waist. Had no wise to move them, as he sought to ignore the comforting and arousing warmth of the body pressed against his own. He might not ask for the comfort she offered but he would take some of it now, but no more than this. Her company was enough.

"The part where you actually think I'd let you get away with not telling me." She informed him, placing kisses along his spine, her grip tightening when he stiffened at the sweet contact. "I'm your mate, you have to tell me things. Otherwise I have to nag, and you don't want to see me do that. It's degrading for both of us."

"What makes you think I'll tell you even if you nag?"

"The fact that it's never not worked before?" Was her amused comeback as her fingers massaged his stomach muscles, her fingertips moving in small circles as they enjoyed the feel of the toned to perfection muscles beneath the silky smooth skin. "Besides, the sooner you tell me the sooner I can comfort you. After two weeks, you really want me to comfort you, trust me."

* * *

Using his superior strength to make her let him turn in her arms he faced her, using his own arms to haul her up and against his chest so that they were eye to eye with one arm around her waist and the other under her rear, her own arms wrapping around his neck instinctively. "Maybe I just want the comfort without the explanation." His voice huskier and more predatory than usual he tried to distract her by nibbling on the side of her neck, something that usually had her forgetting all about arguing with him over something she'd gotten worked up about. Not that he minded, he loved the taste of her, especially when she was wet. He sometimes thought he could live on the scent and taste of her alone. His mate, his woman, his Sango.

"Nice try." Was her amused response, even as she sighed her pleasure, tipping her head to one side to give him better access. "But you aren't distracting me here."

"Than I'll just have to do better."

* * *

Note: Sry this is all for now but I'm working more than full time and that's in the evenings and nights which is when I normally write. Will try to update soon though, to make up for the long wait for this chapter. This scene will be continuing so don't worry!

* * *


	43. Thank You

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else and that's just the way it's gotta be, at least for the time being. Thanks so much for reading, hope you enjoy this latest chapter!

Dedicated to Ishasuki Mitochi, for the most interesting review I've ever gotten!

Thank You

"You make that sound like a threat." Sango purred, digging her nails in as he nipped her earlobe, not about to let him distract her so easily. "But you know, I'll get it out of you eventually."

Rather than comment Sesshoumaru moved his hand from her waist to her head, turning it so that he could capture her lips with his own. After all, she couldn't demand answers if she couldn't speak. Not that it was any hardship of course, to feel her slender, soft body pressed against his after two weeks of nothing but face-offs against those who sought his death and died in his place instead. There was no smell of blood and human waste here, only the forest and the scents of her, the shampoo of her hair, the lotion she put on her skin, the faintest scent of the children, from cuddling them close to her as she mothered them so tenderly. No taste of death was on his tongue, nor of his own blood, instead the rich, spicy taste that only the depths of her mouth held for him alone filled his senses. He was safe here, in her arms. Like they did their sons, they would shelter him and protect him from those who would do him harm. They were strong arms, their grip gentle but sure, as able to pull him into a lover's embrace as they were to swing her weapon at an opposing force. Even though it went against everything he'd learned through centuries of walking alone, he still kept coming back to these arms, sinking into them like a parched man into a pool of water. If that made him weak, he'd stopped caring. Just so long as he knew this oasis of water waited for him at the end of every journey, he could bear whatever else stood in his way. Pulling back his head when air was a necessity Sesshoumaru stared into the eyes of his mate with a need that would never be sated. "You were saying, slayer?"

Eyes slightly glazed over his mate was still made of sterner stuff than that. "I was saying that you can try your best, but I'll never let up." Wrapping her legs around his waist Sango curled her arms more firmly around his neck, so that there was no need for him to support her body anymore, as they looked into each others eyes with nothing separating them from chest to thigh. "Even if we have to stay here all night."

Staring into those all seeing brown eyes, so fierce and warm as they watched him so closely, Sesshoumaru felt his resolve cracking piece by piece. She really would be after him until he told her; after all these years she'd made it abundantly clear that secrets were not to be kept under penalty of ending up in the dog house. Or at least that's what Kagome called it when she kicked his brother out of his own bedroom. But he didn't want to tell her, didn't want those images in her head. She had seen enough horrors, would see even more, now that her fate was tied to his own.

Leaning forward Sango placed light, butterfly kisses along his jaw, then a slow, warm kiss upon his lips that was as soothing as a hug. "Whatever it is, I'll bear it on my shoulders, Sesshoumaru. Just as you bear my pain, I will bear yours. If you wanted someone who only takes from you, you should have mated with Satsuki."

Talk about your incentives to remain single the rest of your life, Sesshoumaru thought with a small smile, thinking of his former fiancee. Yes, she and Sango were as night and day, thank the gods. "When I got there Lord Yoshimori had already sent a warning to Tokine, telling him that if he didn't send him his first born son in pieces to him, the castle would be destroyed. Tokine didn't even wait to see if I'd get there in time, he followed Yoshimori's instructions."

Watching Sango's eyes widening Sesshoumaru had no doubt that his mate was thinking the same thing he'd been thinking when he'd confronted Tokine four days ago. Their own sons. Those three pups who were even now safe within their home, likely waiting for their parents to return or being tucked into bed by Jakken and Kirara, much to their vehement and imaginative complaints. They had his face and figure, they called him father and looked at him with respect, admiration and love in their eyes. They idolized him, copied him in his mannerisms and habits to the point of amusement. To him they were the most priceless of treasures, yet another boy, not much older than them, had been hacked to pieces at his father's orders, to save something that could be rebuilt, if it was lost in the first place.

"There wasn't enough left for you to resurrect."

"When I cornered Yoshimori and demanded the boy's remains, he just shook his head. He said he never thought Tokine would do it, so when the remains arrived, he simply had them thrown into the fire. The bastard thought it funny."

"I bet he didn't think it was so funny when you sent him to hell." Was her fierce response, the pain she felt for the dead boy visible in her eyes. A mother's pain, for the thought of the death of any child. Leaning forward to nuzzle her cheek against his Sango's hold took on that of an embrace rather than a way to hold him immobile. "I'm sure Tokine's son is grateful, that you cared and avenged him."

* * *

Holding her close Sesshoumaru thought about her words, wondering if it was indeed so. His oldest, Kohaku, had played with Tokine's son the last time they'd been there. Would Kohaku remember the boy, mourn for him when he had to tell him later that the boy was dead? Yes, he thought his son would, though not obviously. Kohaku was too much like him in that retrospect. But Kohaku would have his mother's arms to hold him tight, to soothe his grief and help him get through it without the scars that could be left after such things.

"So how long are we staying in here?"

Looking at his mate questioningly Sesshoumaru quickly caught on to what she was getting at. While he himself barely notice the temperature of the water, she was obviously feeling the effects. "We need to get you warmed up." Wrapping his arm around her waist once more, his other still resting under her rear, Sesshoumaru carried her out of the water while she clung to him all the way to shore. Heading straight up the beach he didn't pause until they were standing on the grass. Setting her down on her feet he motioned towards the clothes she'd left laying there.

With a questioning look in his direction she began to dress. "There's a better way to warm me up you know."

"Not when our sons are on the way here."

And sure enough, just moments later their sons came bursting into the clearing, heading straight for their father who'd been in the process of helping his mate fix her collar. Bending down so that they were on eye level he looked into their happy faces, patting each one on the head in greeting before informing them that they were all heading back to the house now and that they were in big trouble for leaving in the first place. Ignoring Ronin's complaining over this the two parents herded their children back up the path to the house, seeing them all to bed with their father promising to tell them a very abbreviated version of his travels when they woke the next morning. Once they were sure the boys intended to stay put the two parents closed the door, leaving it just a little ajar, just in case.

Walking back to their bedroom they turned to each other with fluid grace as soon as the door had slid shut behind them, there arms reaching out to the other as they slid into each other's embrace. Picking his mate up into his arms Sesshoumaru carried her over to their bed, laying her down on before shedding his garments while she did the same with hers. Once they both undressed Sesshoumaru followed her down onto the bed, settling himself over his wife as she welcomed him with her body and words as she sighed his name, meeting him caress for caress, kiss for kiss, thrust for thrust. They were as one, as it should be. Would always be.

* * *

Fading out on that Sesshoumaru's eyes slowly opened to stare upward, Sango leaning over him with his head nestled in her lap, a mixture of relief and embarrassment. Her cheeks were stained a bright pink and she didn't seem to know what to say to him as they just stared at each other dumbly. He didn't know what to stay either, as he stared up at the slayer who he had to now accept, would be his mate for life.

"Are you okay?" Sango asked hesitantly, not sure she wanted to know the answer. He'd said her name several times in the last two minutes and the way he'd said it had her cheeks blushing like mad and the pit of her stomach doing flip flops. And she might not know a lot about sex, but some of those low groans he'd made...oh boy.

"Where's Ayame?" Sesshoumaru asked huskily, never taking his golden eyes off her for a moment.

"He left as soon as you passed out. He left instructions by the tea set as to where we should go looking for Ferio. I noticed them when I put the cups back on the tray so that you didn't risk knocking them over if you started struggling in your sleep. I didn't know what to expect."

"He did that last time too." Closing his eyes for a moment Sesshoumaru acknowledged what his heart and mind was trying to tell him this time around. He had been spending so much time wondering how the hell he'd ended up mated to the demon slayer that he'd let it consume him to the point where little else had had room to be considered. The vision he'd been shown was to tell him that without exception, he should accept the fact that they were fated and get down to the business of hunting down the son of a bitch who was causing so many problems for them in the future. There was just one thing he had to do first. Bracing his arms for support Sesshoumaru moved himself to a sitting position, allowing Sango to hold onto his arm for support while he got his bearings.

"Are you sure you should be getting up already? Do you feel sick, dizzy?"

By way of answer Sesshoumaru reached out and yanked her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her as he held her close. Turning his head to the side he so that his lips were pressed against the shell of her ear he whispered simply. "Thank you...for choosing me."

* * *

"Do you suppose that if I challenged him to a fight and actually let him get a few blows in he'd snap back to normal?" Mika asked her cousin with a considering look on her face, as she and Hermione observed Ren's silent training in the courtyard. "I mean he pouts more than my nieces and nephews do. And they're champion pouters."

"You're worried about him."

Since she'd sooner have her eyes gorged out than admit to such a thing Mika was quick with a much more Mika like response. "More like annoyed as hell. I'm going stir crazy here, wondering what's happening with my aunt and uncle, and there's my favorite punching bag right in front of me, and I can't even use him. The selfish bastard. Why else does he think I let him live?"

"You could try talking to him. He might listen to you." Hermione persisted, not about to let Mika side track her from the point she was trying to make. "You know we need him in top form if we're going to take Ferio down."

"And what makes you think he'll listen to me when he never has before?" Of course if he had, he'd be dead, given how many times she'd told him to die, Mika thought with a small smile. "Look, you talk to him, He actually likes you. I'll go find Aiden or Dare, leave you two alone."

"Do you know why Aiden's mad at me?" Hermione asked, this being one of the very few things that could sidetrack her at the moment from her worries about Ren. Surely Mika would know, she and Aiden were really close.

"He's not telling me, but then I am your cousin. Ask Dare, if anyone knows it would be him. Well and Sonya, but she can't talk so that sort of defeats the purpose."

"He talks more to that stupid tiger than he does to me lately." How much that pissed her off was plain in Hermione's voice too. She was sick and tired of Aiden avoiding her and refusing to let her mend fences with him. It was like he wasn't willing to be friends again until she figured out what she'd done that was so horrible in the first place. Or maybe this was all some elaborate plot to drive her completely insane since she still couldn't come up with a single crime she'd committed that was so horrible he'd throw away years of friends over it. She'd already asked Dare and she knew he knew but he wasn't telling, the jerk. Some second cousin he was.

"Don't let her hear you calling her that. I swear, that tiger understands everything we say."

"What tiger? My tiger?" Dare asked from behind them, having gotten sick and tired of wandering the halls while he waited for his parents to reappear, hopefully without any bloodshed or corpses to deal with. He didn't feel like digging graves at the moment. Too soon after brunch. Taking a seat beside Mika he stretched out his legs and looked at Ren too. "And why, on a beautiful day like this, would you chose to be staring at him of all people? I mean come on, they didn't drop us on our heads that many times as pups."

Thumbing a finger in Hermione's direction Mika laid the blame solely on her shoulder. "Hermione wants me to talk to him."

"Oh yeah, like that would go over well." Rolling his eyes Dare could see that ending in bloodshed so quick the pleasantries wouldn't even be over. "Kyou said he tried last night and he bombed out, and his people skills are better than hers will ever be."

"Hey, I have people skills!"

"Yeah, you're real good at scaring them and traumatizing them for life."

"You're not nearly as funny as you think you are."

"And that's calling the kettle black."

* * *

From his position Ren had a clear view of the three bickering cousins and though he couldn't hear what they were saying, their bond was clear as they sat watching him. Feh, how annoying, Ren thought as he gave them his back and concentrated on his exercises to no avail. He knew they were watching him and now that Dare had joined the audience he just couldn't take it anymore. Stalking away instead Ren had only gone a short distance when he spotted Aiden sitting under a large wisteria tree, staring back at him as Ren returned the gaze. Annoyed Ren stomped over and glaring down at the human demanded to know what he was staring at.

"Well you obviously, since you're talking to me." Was Aiden's calm reply, tilting his head back so that he could maintain eye contact with the obviously pissed off wolf. The fact that Ren might intend to take his frustration out on him did cross his mind, but Aiden could only hope that for the wolf's sake Ren didn't try anything. Not that he stood a chance against Ren, but once Mika scented his spilt blood she'd be over here in a heart beat and that really would be the end of Ren. And for a demon, Ren really was too young to die.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you to watch your mouth around your betters?"

"Yup, but since that isn't the case here I don't see any reason why I should be any more careful about what I say than I normally am. And just in case you're thinking of applying that fist to my face, I wouldn't recommend it. The consequences would be quite dire for you."

Giving a rather nasty laugh Ren's eyes had gone distinctively predator. "Think I'm afraid of you, human?"

"No, but if you have any sense in your head you'd be afraid of what my family will do to you if you were to beat the hell out of me. Even if you killed me, Dare's father would bring me back. He wouldn't bring you back. And while Hermione and Kouga might try to stop them, I'd lay serious money that the others would be able to get by them in order to avenge me. I'm pretty well loved that way and nobody kicks Kohaku's ass."

"You think Hermione wouldn't care if I killed you?" Ren asked, surprised enough by that to forget why his hands were in fists in the first place. He knew that Aiden and Hermione were close, or at least had been in the past. He also knew Hermione was upset because Aiden and she weren't getting along, and why would she be getting that upset about it if Aiden didn't matter to her? Of course women were strange things indeed, especially when it came to their emotions.

"Well I'd hope she'd care but she wouldn't be as choked up about it as say Mika or Aunt Kagome and Aunt Sango."

"Why would Mika care so much? She discarded you as a possible mate."

Looking at the wolf's scolding face Aiden couldn't shake the image of being faced with Ranma from Ranma 1/2. Now wouldn't that just be a match made in hell, Aiden thought, stifling the grin that threatened to cross his face. Now wasn't the time. "Actually, we sorta discarded each other. And just because we don't see each other as possible mates doesn't mean we aren't still close."

"How close." Eyes narrowed now to almost mere slits it was obvious that this conversation was going downhill. Fast.

Uh oh, Danger Aiden Robinson, Danger. "I mean as friends." Aiden explained quickly, wondering if Ren realized just what the implications were that he was this possessive about Mika. Probably not, since he had yet to see anything that would indicate Ren was that bright. "Like you and Hermione. You've always been just friends...right?"

Raising an eyebrow at the look on the human's face Ren wondered if the stupid human realized that he appeared to have more than friendly feelings towards Hermione. Probably not, being a stupid human and all. "That's right." Turning his head as two familiar scents reached his nose Ren jerked his head towards the buildings. "Lord Sesshoumaru and the slayer are returning."


	44. For The Glory of Gryffindor

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else and that's just the way its gotta be, people. Thanks for all the reviews, hope you enjoy this latest chapter and your day.

Special thanks goes out to Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi Fan and MyWishIsOfTheNight for nagging me constantly to update. This one's for you.

Also, this chapter contains some spoilage for the last book of Harry Potter concerning a character death.

For The Glory of Gryffindor

The sons and daughter of the demon lord and slayer watched their parents coming towards them with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. Just what had they missed? Their father looked like his normal self, but there was an aura around him that didn't contain half as much chill as it usually did. Their mother's feelings on the other hand were written all over her face. She was blushing bright red, and she kept looking back and forth between their father and the ground. If she weren't walking right behind Sesshoumaru, she'd probably run into a tree without realizing it, so out of it did she seem. Just what had happened to their parents during the meeting, Sora, Kohaku and Dare wondered, knowing better than to ask.

Freaked out by the change in his brother's demure, Inu yasha made no attempt to approach either of them.

"Ferio's is hiding out in the Elysian Valley." Sesshoumaru announced, ignoring the looks on everyone else's faces. He was also too busy being amused by Sango to pay much attention to the others anyway.

"That's take two or three days, depending on the weather and who we run into." Sora estimated, wondering if she should go over and give her mother a hug. The older woman looked like she could use one.

Agreeing with her estimate Sesshoumaru gave a curt nod. "Go and pack. We'll meet in the front hallway. Anyone not there in twenty minutes gets left behind."

Since he never made threats he didn't intend to do his damnest to keep everyone knew to kick it in gear. Without argument everyone but Inu yasha headed back towards the wing they'd been staying in, Sango practically leading the way in her eagerness to have a few minutes to catch her breath and think without a certain demon lord beside her.

Watching Sango and the rest go out of the corner of his eye Inu yasha waited until they were all out of general ear shot before turning his attention to his older brother. Unsure where to start, since he never really talked to his brother, Inu yasha barely bit back the urge to shuffle his feet like a little kid in front of a strict parent he'd disappointed.

And just what was going through his moron little brother's head, Sesshoumaru wondered. Or perhaps he was just thinking about more than one thing, and the strain was causing that look of annoyed panic.

"What's so funny!?" Inu yasha demanded to know, feeling that his brother was amused by something. He couldn't say why he thought that, since Sesshoumaru's face gave nothing away. It was just instinct, correct if the brief hint of surprise he saw on Sesshoumaru's face was anything to go by.

"You're always an amusement."

"I hope she makes a eunuch out of you." Marching off Inu yasha forgot all about the fact that he was going to warn his brother about that prince guy who had a thing for Sango, and whose lands they were likely to be going through, if they took the most direct route from here. No, he'd just let the assehole find that out for himself and enjoy the fireworks.

* * *

Everyone arriving in time Sesshoumaru asked the servants to pass along his thanks for their hospitality, no one sorry not to see Satsuki before they left. They'd been walking for about ten minutes or so when the air around them seemed to change, a feeling that had everyone reaching to place testing hands on their assorted weapons. Keen eyes, ears and noses accessed their surroundings, and none could shake the feeling that they weren't alone even as their senses failed to pick up anything.

"It must be Satsuki." Sesshoumaru said carefully, waiting for her to make her move. They didn't have long to wait.

They'd only taken a few more steps when they froze in place, unable to move any further. There was nothing physical holding them, their bodies quiet simply refused to move from the shoulder down. Everyone trying unsuccessfully to even struggle, no one was surprised when the sound of a high, purring laughter filled their ears. Trying to turn their bodies to face the sound they watched Satsuki walk into the clearing looking quite pleased with herself. Dressed to the nines she was dripping with jewels and a furious venom she made no effort to hide. Behind her was a skeletal looking demon, whose eyes were as hollow and as dead as his overall appearance. One of Satsuki's former suitors was the general consensus. He stood so still and silent, he might have been a scarecrow she'd propped up to ward off future would be suitors.

"Going so soon?" Smiling darkly it was obvious Satsuki knew they'd tried to leave without giving her another chance to get at them. "Really, such rudeness. I'd expect it from the filthy humans but, Sesshoumaru sama, you too? Have they infected you already with their vileness? How the mighty have fallen."

"What do you want?" Was Sesshoumaru's blunt question, not about to play along with her little games. The best way to handle Satsuki was to stand on firm ground, since as soon as she scented weakness she turned into a hyena faced with a fresh kill. He'd prefer to avoid killing her if possible.

"What I always want, Sesshoumaru sama. To have as much fun as possible."

Seeing the way the bitch was looking at her uncle kicked Mika in to full bitchy gear. This demoness might be a Grade A bitch, but Mika considered herself a queen in the timeless art and she had no problems demonstrating her superior skills. "So this is how you get your men, huh? I suddenly feel really bad for all the names I called those demons I thought actually desired a self absorbed cess pool of ego like you. Though I have to give you credit, at least you've recognized the fact that you're nothing but a hasbin old hag, who has to use the powers of another demon to get men to stay near you. It's really no wonder, that you STILL LIVE AT HOME WITH YOUR FATHER!"

Watching the demoness's face turn an interesting shade of puce Kyou really had to hand it to his sister. She knew how to make life time enemies like nobody's business.

Oh yeah, that had hit some serious nerves. In fact, there was quite a bit of twitching going on all over Satsuki's body as she struggled to control her volcanic rage of mass proportions. She was failing miserably at it. Her finger shaking she pointed at Mika in a way that suggested she was envisioning shoving her clawed finger straight through Mika's chest. "As soon...as I kill the slayer...you're next." She ground out through clenched teeth, her rage a palatable thing.

"Bring it." Sango called out, having had just about enough of this demoness's attitude. "Let me go and we'll just see who takes down who."

Having never seriously fought Sango himself Sesshoumaru had no idea if his mate was actually capable of following through with that threat and so his eyes promised slow, torturous death as they drilled into Satsuki's. His eyes said it all. Harm a hair on her head and I will show you no mercy.

"Like I'd stain my fingers with your filthy blood." Satsuki scoffed, doing her best not to look at Sesshoumaru as she tried to shake off the fear his eyes had flared in her gut. She was in control here and it was going to stay that way, damn it. "Besides, do you have any idea how hard it is to get your disgusting fluids out of clothing? No, I leave the killing of humans to others, I would never waste my time on something so beneath me."

Would the twit never shut up, Mika thought in annoyance, wishing desperately that her hand would work for just ten seconds. Just long enough to bath the bitch in her own blood and body fluids. See how she liked them apples. But since she couldn't do that..heckling her was the next best thing. "So not only can't you get your own men, you can't kill weakling humans? What can you do, besides come up with stupid, amateur villain monologues?" Mika asked with the famous Inu yasha smirk on her lips. "Oh I'm sorry, I forgot. You can also dress badly too. My mistake, sorry about that."

That was just too much for her to take. Marching over Satsuki stood directly in front of the half demon and backhanded Mika across the face. "Just for that, I'm going to kill them one at a time in front of you. I'll bath you in their blood before I finally send you to your human hell after them. Starting with your little human boy, girl." With a swish of her robes Satsuki turned to face her scarecrow like servant. Release the human boy from your hold."

Having been mentally struggling to get free like everyone else Aiden was very surprised when he suddenly feel forward, landing with a thud on all fours on the ground. Looking up at the furious demoness watching him so smugly, Aiden had a pretty good idea what a mouse must feel like, looking up at the cocked head of a snake. Definitely not a positive experience. And he was so screwed. Getting cautiously to his feet Aiden never took his eyes off her for a moment. Maybe he could bluff his way out of this. Somehow.

No such luck. "So I hear that you have a fear of women, weakling. I suppose most consider it a foolish, embarrassing phobia to have. After all you've gone through, I suppose its really only fitting that you prove your fear justified." Snapping her fingers Satsuki enjoyed watching all the blood drain from the human's face as three of her handmaidens walked into the clearing, all wearing leather and bearing a fun assortment of..toys to play with.

In times like this there was only one piece of advice Dare could think to give his best friend. "RUN!"

If only running were possible. But he wasn't stupid enough to think he'd get far, and even if by some miracle she let him go, that would still mean leaving everyone else behind. Hi might be weak, and sometimes downright pathetic, but he wasn't a coward. And family meant everything to him. Standing as tall as he could Aiden stuck out his chin, trying to stop the trembling he couldn't quite stop as Satsuki backed away and her handmaidens approached with looks on their faces that he didn't like one little bit.

Everyone calling out various forms of encouragement and or suggestions as to how he might go about surviving this, Mika's voice was the loudest and rather than suggesting anything, she was demanding he come over to where she was for a moment. Years of training kicking in Aiden hurried over to stand in front of her, his executioners watching with amused looks on their faces. They obviously didn't expect to have any problems with him and weren't in that big of a hurry to begin, especially since there was so much male eye candy to be admired stuck helpless in front of them. Talk about your turn ons.

Lowering her head Mika spoke in a low whisper. Advice wouldn't do him any good, especially since women tended to wipe his brain clean every times they got near him. In other words, she had to give him one hell of a good reason not to let that happen. And it just so happened, she had just the hook to bait him with. After all, no one knew Aiden better than she did. "Aiden. You do realize that if you die here...you'll never, ever, see the last two Harry Potter books on the big screen. You'll never see what they cut out or whether they even bother to bring Dobby back for the final film. They might cut out his death completely."

Aiden had cried when Dobby had died, the little house elf having been his favorite character in the whole series. The fact that all the films since Chamber of Secrets had cut out Dobby had really pissed him off, to the point where he had written letters to everyone he could think of involved with the films, begging them to rectify the situation. The idea that he might never know how his elf would be depicted in the movies was simply unconceivable. Die? He couldn't die. He was going to live if he had to sell his soul to the devil himself. Or herself, the women in his family having long since convinced him of the likelihood that Satan was in fact a female.

And now for the icing on the proverbial cake, Mika thought smugly. "And, Aiden." Making her voice as low as it could get, Mika made him a little promise of her own.

"You will? Really? Costumes and everything? And you'll wear it the whole time?" His face lighting up like a Christmas tree it was obvious that Aiden had forgotten all about the life or death situation he was in.

"On my word as a half demon."

Grinning like an idiot Aiden nodded his head in silent acknowledgement, and then turned to face his opponents with an aura of focused determination, which was not something often seen on his face. "Well all right then. For the honour of Gryffindor!"

* * *

No one was more surprised than Satsuki when Aiden won. You see, she'd had no idea that he possessed a wind tunnel just like his father, having assumed he was just a typical human male, easily disposed of. Using a special wind technique, one of his sisters had come up with, Aiden shot out hard blasts of air in the direction of each of the maids, throwing them straight into the trees that had hid them from view. The key was complete mental focus, which, had he been afraid of them, he wouldn't have had. But so focused was he on insuring his continuing enjoyment of Harry Potter than Aiden was able to pull it all off with more than usual accuracy. Even better, Satsuki was so surprised and pissed off that she forgot one of her servant's fatal flaws, and one of the various reasons why he'd gone from her boy toy to a mere thing to be occasionally hauled out for shits and giggles.

That fatal flaw became glaringly apparent when she lost her head and ordered the demon to attack Aiden. As soon as the demon moved to do so, everyone discovered that their ability to move had been returned to them. The demon couldn't do two different things at once.

In a flash Dare was between Aiden and the demon, slicing the pathetic creature in half, hopefully sending his soul to a better place where he would never have to see Satsuki or her likes ever again.

Satsuki also was to find herself flying through the air and into a tree, as both Mika and Hermione simultaneously punched her in the head, knocking her flat and unconscious. They were only stop from finishing her off by a restraining hand on both their shoulders. One look from Sesshoumaru was enough to have them reluctantly forgoing the pleasure of kicking the bitch while she was down and out.

Since everyone was looking at him like he was nuts to stop them Sesshoumaru did something he very rarely did. He actually explained why he was doing something that made perfect sense to him. "Her father's help might be needed again if Ferio moves from his present hideaway."

Well that made sense. Since she couldn't beat on the old hag Mika changed directions and running over threw herself at Aiden, giving him a great big hug. "Way to go, Champ. Dumbledore would be proud."

Chuckling Aiden grinned widely, swinging her around for the fun of it. "Well I couldn't have done it without you, Slytherin."

"And that's not something a Gryffindor gets to say often." Mika agreed with a wink.

Noticing that Kyou was looking at them and grimacing Aiden sent him a questioning look. After all, they had won here. So there hadn't been much of a show, but showing off tended to get you killed. "What's wrong, Kyou?"

"Sorry, mental images. Her being my sister and all." Costumes, by the gods. He was going to have nightmares for months. For years maybe. Now Ren wasn't going to be the only one needing Doctor Phil. Kyou thought with an even bigger grimace. And he didn't even like the guy.

"Huh?" Both Aiden and Mika looked very confused now. When Kyou was no more forthcoming the two turned their questioning gazes in Dare's direction.

"Don't look at me, she's my cousin you know. I'm going to have some bad moments later myself." Shaking his head Dare went over to help Kohaku tie up all their would be tormentors in order to ensure that they wouldn't be following them any time soon.

Curious as to what he was missing along with Aiden and Mika Triton made a quick cursory of Kyou's mind, his eyebrows raising as he realized just what Kyou had taken Mika and Aiden's conversation to be about. But since that didn't fit with his knowledge of either Aiden or Mika...skimming Aiden's mind Triton gave a short laugh as he found out the truth of the matter.

Meanwhile, Aiden was still completely at sea. Why was everyone so upset about Mika promising to dress up as a Slytherin for the premiere of 'Harry Potter, The Half Blooded Prince'?


	45. Get A Clue

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put all the characters in. Everything else belongs to somebody else and that's just the way its gonna stay, people. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoy and review to let me know what you think!

Sorry this is on the short side, but I haven't watched Inu yasha in over a year and my interest has severely waned. I'm hoping to start wrapping it up now, rather than leave you all with an unfinished story. Thanks to those who continue to stick by it and a Happy Saint Patrick's Day to you.

Get A Clue

Mika and Aiden were at a loss as to what they were missing. Well they weren't the only ones, they were both pretty sure Sango, Rin, Shippou, Jakken, Miroku, Inu yasha and Ren were out to sea too, but everyone else seemed to get it and were pointedly ignoring them as a result. Well maybe Sesshouamru wasn't in the know either, he had one hell of a poker face after all. The only way they knew the others were clueless too was the fact that they were all asking to be in the know too and getting shot down just as hard. Mika was pretty annoyed that her mother wouldn't tell her, but Kagome went bright red everytime Mika so much as got into her line of vision. Aiden had no luck with Hermione, Mina or Dare, the latter two just smirking while Hermione..well if looks could kill....

"This is really starting to piss me off." Mika muttered, bad temperedly kicking a stone into a tree, embedding it there with the force of her kick.

Patting her on the shoulder Aiden figured something really big must have happened, for them to all be risking Mika's wrath like this. But what had he and Mika missed, and what did it have to do with them specifically?

"We need to bribe someone...but who and with what?"

Considering her whispered suggestion Aiden tried to remember if there was something he had that anyone here might want. Well, maybe his Aunt Kagome would want to know more about her future, but his gut was saying that even her curiousity wasn't going to be enough to get her to spill. He could try to blackmail Dare, threaten to tell his mom all sorts of horrible stories about him, but Dare hit pretty hard even when he wasn't trying to and he wasn't feeling so great to begin with. Mentally going through the other possibilities he could come up with only one logical possobility. "We should ask Kohaku. He doesn't get embarassed and as the oldest he should be too mature to make us bribe him...or at least whatever he asks won't be humiliating or degrading the way Dare's would be."

"Worth a shot. Wish me luck." Leaving his side Mika headed for her oldest cousin, not bothering to waste time asking him if he'd spill since his hearing was keen enough to have picked up on her and Aiden's discussion. "So? What's it going to take?"

Everyone within hearing rang leaned in to hear.

Looking down at his little cousin Kohaku wondered if the situation would become less amusing if he were to let the cat out of the bag, so to speak. Unlike his aunt, brother and cousin, he really wasn't too embarassed or mortified to give Mika a straight answer, nor was he quite so childish as to keep his mouth shut just to screw with Mika and Aiden's heads, the way Mina and the water demons were. Hermione was keeping her mouth shut because if she opened it Aiden might never recover his hearing...or his manhood such as it was. He was also willing to bet, unlike the others, that the others interpetation of what had been said was incorrect. Not that he didn't believe Mika was above such a thing, but because he doubted Aiden would be able to handle it if she did. The man blushed over a kiss, so logic dictated that a promise of the sort the others susupected would not have enticed Aiden to have given the fighting performance he had given. And while he was mildly curious to know the truth, he was, like his father, not so undisiplined as to make his curiousity known. If you didn't know something, act like you did was pretty much one of his father's philosophy in life.

"Well?"

Shrugging his shoulder ever so slightly Kohaku lowered his head just enough to whisper a few, to the point sentences in his cousin's ear before straightening, wanting to catch her reaction when the shock wore off.

It didn't take long.

* * *

Mouth opening and closing wordlessly several times as it sank in she was soon doubled over with laughter, her arms wrapped around her waist so hard it was a wonder she wasn't cutting off her circulation. Weaving in place as she walked back to Aiden her laughter was full bodied and joyful, the sort of laugh that made people instinctively smile when they heard it, simply from the runoff of happiness behind it. Knowing her older cousin as she did, Mika just barely managed to whisper the truth to him before she broke out into even more laughter as she awkwardly made her way back to Aiden to deliver the hilarious news.

Raising an eyebrow Aiden got straight to the point once she'd finally managed to make her way back to his side. She was laughing so hard now that there was tears running down her cheeks. What was so funny?

Holding up one finger to indicate he needed to give her a minute or two, it took Mika a good four minutes before she was capable of saying a full sentence without breaking back into hysterical laughter. Leaning forward Mika placed her lips against his ear and whispered. "They think I was promising you kinky sex if you won." That was all it took to get her going again, so she completely missed his reaction to the news.

Blinking rapidly Aiden was too stunned to even blush. "Oh." Well that hadn't been what he'd expected, though it certainly explained a thing or two. Well damn, he didn't know whether to be flattered or irked about the whole thing now.

"Well now that they know will you tell me?" Ren hissed, just as curious as they had been. He hadn't caught what Kohaku or Mika had said, they'd spoken so low.

Hermione's response to that was a killing death glare. If he asked her that one more time she was going to hurt him bad. She didn't care that all this was drawing him out of the depressive funk that he'd been in recently. She was feeling decidedly dark and depressed as it was, and would prefer company rather than her friend acting like a curious three year old who couldn't stop asking 'Why?'.

Frustrated Ren wished he too was in possession of something to bribe Hermione or someone with. Not knowing was driving him crazy, especially since it seemed to be something to do with the intamacy between the weak human called Aiden and Mika. He didn't like the idea of them as a unit, even if they were only paired up in this situation by some sort of missunderstanding. The others seemed to expect it too, to see them as a grouping apart from the rest, like they were still together as a pair. The idea left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Something tells me we misinterpted something." Dare stated slowly, looking from Mika to Aiden to Kyou. "What do you think?" Not that thinking was Kyou's greatest strength, but he decided to give his cousin the benefit of the doubt in this case. Besides, it wasn't like his older brother or Andrea would stoop to gossiping with him.

"What else could it be though?" Kyou countered, trying to think less dirty and coming out empty.

Aiden meanwhile, having the facts now, had figured out where the mistakes had been made and was now snickering just a little himself. He couldn't help it though, the images in his head were just too damn funny. There was, after all, nothing remotely sexy about Hogwarts uniforms. Okay..there was the whole school girl look, but given the death glares, 'comment if you want to die' looks Mika would be giving off at the movie premiere, Aiden couldn't imagine any guy thinking sexy thoughts once they locked eyes with that. He sure wouldn't.

Mika, now in control of her senses enough to see the possible payback option, gave Aiden one of her 'don't you argue with me' looks. "We aren't telling the idiots the truth."

Nodding, Aiden got the message. Besides, they all deserved it for having such dirty minds.

"We're never going to know what was so funny, are we?" Sango asked Sesshoumaru, who simply shurgged his shoulders like he could care less.

"We could make them." Inu yasha suggested, seeing nothing wrong with strong arming his children into spilling their guts. In fact, it could be fun. He wouldn't mind seeing how his children messured up against him, though he didn;'t have that much hope where his son was concerned. The kid defintely took after Kagome, or maybe her cat. Lazy thing that it was.

"You don't want to. Trust me." Was his mate's counter to that idea. Her tone said it all.

* * *

Since no one was willing to spill their guts on the topic found so hilarious by some, the group lapsed into relative silence after a while, topics of conversation popping up occasionally but about nothing of consequence. They had traveled for about five hours when a thought occured to Mika.

"Hey...if we're going where I think we're going...wont we run into that prince guy? The one who married that doctor friend of Hotaru's?"

"Hey yeah..I think you're right." Kyou answered with a considering look. "Sweet, we can bunk down at his place and get supplies and stuff."

"Your stupidity astounds me sometimes." Andrea drawled, looking at him in disgust. "And given how stupid you are normally, that's saying something."

Glaring at her Kyou would have shoved her if it weren't for the fact that she'd shove back and harder. "What's stupid about food and shelter? I mean the guy's a family friend, right? Why wouldn't he give us stuff, demons or not? Its not like a lot of villages are going to be all that welcoming with Uncle Sesshoumaru and my cousins in tow."

"It's stupid because any idiot would know how important it is to keep Sesshoumaru AWAY from him." Rolling her eyes Andrea couldn't believe even he was that clueless. After all, the problems a visit to the prince were all male related to begin with. If men thought with their heads instead of their egos, there would be no problem with going to see the prince guy. But male egos were involved with Sango as the prize which translated to 'lets avoid the prince at all costs'.

Remembering his brother's mentioning of a prince Sesshoumaru looked down at Sango questioningly. "Why do I need to be kept away from some weak human prince?" Surely it wasn't for his safety, but there had to be a reason given the reaction of the others.

"Ah..well....you see." Going a little pink in the cheeks Sango didn't know quite how to put it. To say that the prince had a crush on her was to, well, girlie and embarassing. I mean really, even when she hadn't liked Sesshoumaru, she'd have said there was no contest between the prince and Sesshoumaru in the gorgeous department. Really, when you thought about it, Sesshoumaru knew all about Miroku and his faults, and if he met the prince...well he'd have a very negative opinion of the sort of men she seemed to attract. Sesshoumaru had nothing in common with either of them save the fact that there seemed to be something about her they all found attractive. Going even redder, her thoughts weren't helping matters.

"The prince has a thing for your woman."

Trust Inu yasha to put it so succulantly.

A narrowing of his eyes was Sesshoumaru's only reaction to his brother's explanation. He wasn't really worried, since he knew for a fact he was stuck with her for what remained of their lives together. And if the prince was a threat, he wouldn't still be living in his children's reality. Of course if they were to encounter this prince, and said prince were to act as annoying as the monk, Sesshoumaru could see how their worries could be somewhat justified. He already had to deal with his brother, his brother's son and the monk. He had all the idiots he could take and his future mate seemed to attract them. The trials he must go through later in life because of her ability to attract such creatures to him. Though maybe it wasn't so bad, if she let him kill some of them for sport. Then again, he could see her taking a dim view on him going around killing things so much weaker than he was. He might too, since he wouldn't care for being remembered as the slaughterer of the weak. He preferred to be memorialized as the killer of the strongest, which was a much better eulogy for his centuries of mass human and demon destruction.

"Please don't kill him." Mika requested, not liking the look in her uncle's eyes. "He really does go on to marry a friend of Hotaru's. He'll get over her eventually without you..beating the attraction out of him."

"He's less of a challenge than Jakken." Was Kohaku's addition to the conversation, knowing that that would wane his father's intrest in a confrontation faster than any argument any of the others might have come up with.

"HEY!"

Everyone ignoring Jakken's gargled protests, they all had admiring glances for the brilliance of Kohaku's logical thinking.

Considering his son's words Sesshoumaru lost all itnerest in engaging the pathetic human spawn in battle. If he was worse than Jakken, he was better off picking a fight with a rabbit for Rin's dinner.

"He is not that weak." Sango argued, completely missing the motive behind her son's insult. "He's just...well human. Jakken is a demon after all...so of course he's weaker." As a demon slayer such an argument spoken by someone else would have resulted in her blade up said person's ass. But at the moment, it was the best she could come up with since Sesshoumaru would indeed squash the prince like a bug if he chose to.

Humiliated that the human slayer was the only one defending him, Jakken lapsed into depressed silence, giving Rin a death glare when she reached out to pat him sympathetically on the shoulder.

"You're defending him?"

Paling slightly at Sesshoumaru's question Sango saw her mistake instantly. "Well...I uh...owe him so not saying something seemed..terribly impolite of me. You are of course so vastly stronger than him that the idea of you two fighting is laughable."

Somewhat pleased at the compliment Sesshoumaru decided to let it pass that she actually seemed to think he'd consider a human male as a threat to his ownership of her. Please, like that was going to happen. If she thought she could leave him now that he knew she was meant for him than she was even stupidier than his brother, which just wasn't possible.

"So we're avoiding the guy, right?" Miroku asked hesitantly, doing his best to hide his disappointment. He'd hoped to enlist the other man's help in trying to save Sango from the damn smug demon lord who didn't look the least bit upset at the idea that someone might have an itnerest in Sango as well. In fact, Miroku was beginning to hate the demon so much he'd be glad if Sango were to sudden;y fall for the prince, thus leaving Sesshoumaru high and dry. I mean a prince was just as respected and exalted in the human world as Sesshoumaru was in the demon one. If prestige and nobility were what Sango was attracted to, the prince could provide that just as easily without being a moral less, egotistical bastard like the demon lord walking in front of him with Sango at his side. Like she damn well belonged there, Miroku thought darkly.

"That would be wisest." Was Andrea's firm suggestion.

"Well that might not be an issue." Triton interjected before anything else on the topic could be said.

"Why is that?" Kagome wanted to know.

"Because Ferio has decided to come to us it seems. Battle stations everyone."

Everyone leaping into action Rin and Shippou were secured to hide nearby with Triton, Jakken, Aiden and Miroku standing guard over them with weapons drawn and ready. The rest lined up at the ready, standing in around the protected in a half circle, covering them where the others and nature did not. They were braced and prepared when the attack began.


End file.
